Yoga mat for 90 year old

Just had to record this week's purchase: a yoga mat for a 90 year old client!
Admittedly not for yoga, but it's still quite something to come across a 90 year old who gets down on the floor twice a day to practice Alexander Technique. Why the yoga mat? This client has moved into a new care home where the carpets aren't, she informs me, conducive to doing her exercises!
I first got to know her when she lived independently and, rather unexpectedly, was asked to continue my 'befriending' support when she moved into care. The home meets her daily care needs but she's desperate for social contact, conversation, companionship and..... someone to buy yoga mats!

Home alone

I've really enjoyed getting to know an elderly lady who lived alone in a neighbouring village but who sadly had a fall recently and will probably move from hospital into a care home.
In her late 80's she was just about coping in the large family home with a cleaner, carer, ready meals and regular visits from two devoted sons. They however were concerned that she was spending too much time alone and was possible a little depressed. I was asked to pop in once or twice a week for an hour or so, just to talk to their mum and maybe take her out, if she felt like it. If she needed a bit of shopping I'd pop to the shop or if something was worrying her about the house I would text or phone one of her 'boys'.
Getting to know someone can be both a challenge and a delight, which it was with this client. She had tales to tell and photos to share. I got to know her family past and present  quite well, without even meeting most of them! What made her easier to befriend was a shared sense of humour and her honesty: she was the first to remind me she was old and forgetful. What was
particularly endearing was that, despite living alone, she was still interested in other people and rarely complained about her lot.
I will miss our weekly chats, but am so pleased that my last 'duty' was to provide a 'taxi service', escorting her back from her granddaughter's wedding.

I hate paperwork!

When I set up Good Companions I didn't realise quite how anxious older people can get about some everyday things including post and paperwork. Over the past year this has been my main focus with a 'not so elderly' client. Previously his wife dealt with 'all that stuff' but since she is now in a home he has to deal with it himself. Although very capable, he finds paperwork a chore and a physical disability makes form filling very time consuming.
We tend to get together once the in-tray starts to overflow and sort out what needs action and what can be filed in the simple box file system which I helped him set up. I quite often have 'homework' if there are letters or follow up calls to make but really my client just needs me there as an incentive to keep on top of things.
As with most clients having started off helping with one task, as trust and understanding develops I've been asked to do other things.  

Personal Shopper

I've really enjoyed working with an 88 year old lady recently who loves clothes. She's just stopped driving and is now finding shopping for clothes quite difficult so I am her personal shopper! We started off with a bit of a fashion show in her flat where she showed me her favourite items  and asked my advice about a couple of things which she thought (wrongly) might be too young for her. Actually she has real style and knows exactly what suits her. I can relate to her slightly quirky taste and admire her willingness to wear the odd item which isn't the typical 'old lady' style.
Our successes of late have been a rather dashing raspberry coloured dressing gown-  a colour she wasn't sure about but fell in love with when I took it round and a gorgeous skirt which fitted her like a glove. She looked great in it at her recent birthday party!
Once I know the kind of thing  she's looking for I tend to do an initial web search, print off a few ideas for her to see and then either order online or where possible check them out in store.
This client interaction is great fun and immensely satisfying to see the delight it generates.

Satisfied client

Just had some lovely feedback from the daughter of an elderly lady I have been supporting for the past 3yrs. I started visiting her at home in Cambridge- an independent retirement flat then we would go out for coffee, lunch, concerts and the theatre. When she moved into a Hertfordshire care home, her daughter wanted me to keep up the contact. She now has dementia but is always pleased to see me and still enjoys going out for lunch. This is what her daughter wrote:
  
" Sheila has a great ability in getting to know people, to meet them where they are, understanding both their needs but also their interests. In this way a genuine friendship develops and she really does become a 'Good Companion'. My mother looks on Sheila as a good friend and her support for my mother has been enormously valuable to me. "

Moving into care

This is a difficult topic for many of my clients . No one wants to leave their home of many years. I have however been impressed recently with the pragmatism shown by a very bright 90yr old who recognised that she could no longer live independently. I began working with her 6mths ago, helping with shopping and taking her for medical appointments after she had reluctantly given up driving! Meal planning and preparation had become a trial, she needed help with  medication and she was increasingly isolated in her flat. Together we researched and visited care homes until she found one to suit her changing needs. The choice was most definitely hers. With only one elderly relative living some distance away she turned to me to provide a sounding board, for reassurance and for practical support as her anxiety increased during the final stressful weeks. I helped her decide what she should take to her new home, organised the packing and to her delight found homes for her precious books and other items. Good Companions stepped in at a critical time in this lady's life to provide a range of services which at the outset would not have been foreseen. An excerpt from her thank you letter:

 " Many many thanks Sheila for all your help in the last chaotic days to make the move possible. Thanks too for your valuable friendship in making my last months in my flat so pleasant"

Social contact makes a difference

Good Companions has proven that social activities and good company can make a huge difference to the quality and independence enjoyed by older clients living alone. Feedback from one of our long standing clients clearly demonstrates that the personalised support from Good Companions extended the time they could live independently.

Without doubt a Good Companion can help delay admission to residential care and provide continuity and support during that difficult transition phase.

For all round wellbeing, it is as important to offer elderly people social and intellectual stimulation as it is to secure appropriate personal care.