Shopping and food

Sometimes it just isn't enough to help an elderly person with their shopping. Some clients will need help  to identify what they are running short of and even what they might need to throw away.. for health and safety reasons! As with all Good Companions' services we need to assess how much and what kind of support each client needs in relation to shopping and managing their household supplies.
Older people suffering from memory loss or confusion can easily forget what they have bought leading to over purchasing and potential waste. The other worry it that they might not check dates on food which could have health implications. This is a simple but important service which a good companion can discretely perform during a social visit. Our aim is always to keep the client in the driving seat to sustain their independence as much as possible.

Memory loss and medication

We take for granted that when the doctor prescribes tablets that it's just a case of taking them..but if you live alone and suffer from significant memory loss, it's far from straightforward and quite a worry for family members not living close at hand. The 'pill planner' containers, available from chemists, with sections for each day of the week do help many manage their medication, but have their limitations, especially for those who have problems remember what day it is.
Working recently with an elderly client on medication and with memory difficulties has made me realise how hard it is when you live alone to take the right tablets, on the right day, at the right time. A community nurse is unlikely to call twice a day when there are no other health issues and sometimes even a phone call to remind the individual is not enough. As the 'Good Companion' I have been able to provide tactful support, popping in for a chat and discretely ensuring that the right tablets are taken at the right time. I can also email/phone the family or the surgery when the prescription needs renewing.  
Another thing the family can stop worrying about.

Change is traumatic

We all find change difficult and for elderly people the prospect of moving home can be very traumatic. Good Companions can provide practical help and emotional support during this time. It might just be helping pack things ready for the move or talking through what needs to be recycled or taken to charity shops.
This service is of particular value to families who live some distance from their elderly relative and are worried that they are not close enough to provide support before and after the move. Sheila has been working with such a family and has been able to reduce the anxiety by working directly with the elderly client and working on behalf of the daughter 300 miles away as she organises the move into residential care.

Holidays & hospitals

Its a worry when you go away on holiday and have to leave an elderly relative who is used to you popping in regularly for a chat. Good Companions can help plug that temporary gap to allow you to relax into a well earned break, knowing that someone trust worthy and caring will drop by to ensure all is well. Its reassuring for all concerned to know that your family member will have company and that there is someone to help with shopping or to take them out for coffee.

Sheila can also step in to provide friendly help and support for an elderly or disabled person if they find themselves alone, for a short period of time; for example if their main carer/partner/family member has to go into hospital. We can reduce stress and anxiety, offer practical support, do shopping, sort things out, organise visits, and generally keeping things ticking over.

Making friends is hard

How easy is it to make new friends ( of even sustain old friendships) when your memory starts to play-up? It's not easy at all when you can't remember someone or what they might have told you about themselves in recent exchanges. Effective and mutually enjoyable communication tends to depend upon shared exchanges of information and observations. Memory loss removes the all important 'recall-tool'  which oils the wheels of communication. As friends, we listen, respond and share interest in each other.  Not surprisingly as your memory diminishes so can your world and your contacts.

We might assume an individual is unfriendly or self centred because we don't understand what difficulties s/he is facing. It requires patience to communicate with someone who is losing touch with the here and now. It's worth discovering topics from the past which the person can enjoy recalling. We need to step into the world and time which makes them happy. Prompts, in the form of statements, are preferable to questions which can increase anxiety. Provide opportunities for them to talk about what they can remember. For short periods of time we need to forego our inclination to transmit and move into receivor mode.

How can we help sustain the socialisation of people losing their memory?

Value for money?

I've had more enquiries for Good Companions services this week and the first questioned is: how much will it cost. Understandable.
It's hard to put a price tag on this type of service which is more that providing a home help or carer. Yes, Sheila charges from £20 an hour, but that's because the quality of what she provides is underpinned by a whole raft of professional skills gleaned from years of experience as a teacher and guidance counsellor. Think what a hairdresser or a plumber charges and you'll realise that Good Companions is value for money. A lot of the time, in additional to the obvious service, Sheila is also offering informal life coaching and counselling support, which people pay £40+  an hour for!

This week we've had enquiries from a couple in their 70s looking for some-one they can trust to offer companionship and a range of services for a vulnerable, disabled, adult relative. They currently pay someone £12 an hour to take their relative out each week, but they are now wondering if they need someone with a higher skill set.
Another phone call came from a cleaning franchise: an elderly gentleman has requested a cleaner but also needs someone help with 'other tasks' including shopping. Whether he accepts that 'the other tasks' will cost more than his cleaner remains to be seen.... 

Whose needs do we need to meet?

When providing support services to quite elderly people it can be tricky determining how appropriate it is to liaise with a client's family. The needs and wishes of the client are paramount, but there are times when communication with family members can be of benefit to all concerned. It is particularly helpful to be in touch with someone in the family when a client experiences memory loss or easily gets confused.

Good Companions encourages clients to tell their close family that they are using the service to avoid misunderstandings. On first meeting a new client we try to find out how they feel about appropriate contact with a family member. Occasional email or phone contact with a son or daughter can be reassuring for all parties and help ensure that the appropriate support is provided in a co-ordinated manner.

Good Companions recognises that caring,concerned sons and daughters have needs to!