Companionship

Social isolation is a growing concern nationwide, and, for many families living far away from loved ones, it can be very difficult to help an older parent or a family member living on their own.

A health condition or increasingly limited mobility can increase isolation, or maybe there just aren’t as many friends around as there once were.

Loneliness can have a significant impact on health and wellbeing, which in turn can delay recovery from illness and injury.

Companionship home care can provide a friendly face whenever needed and help people to take back control of their lives, re-enabling their involvement in social events and activities.

We can help you find a local MyLife Companion to visit your loved one regularly, or alternatively to live in with them so that they have the reassurance of a constant companion.

The first step is to arrange a visit from a member of our local MyLife support team, to meet you and your family member in their own home. This visit is free of charge and allows us to learn more about your family member, their hobbies, their interests, and what they would like from a companion. Ultimately, they will choose their own MyLife companion from the shortlist we put forward, matching individual needs with the right personality for them.

Our companions are friendly, “experienced in life” and chosen for their social skills. It is important that they are sensitive to social cues and able to build good relationships.

We find that, even if there is a little resistance initially, our MyLife Companions are soon a welcome part of everyday life, from having a coffee and chat to going shopping or learning a new hobby.

A MyLife companion will also be able to provide domestic help around the home and personal care if you wish, or you might choose to have another assistant specifically for this.

MyLife offers companionship designed around the individual; choosing what they would like to do for the day, or planning the week. This could be baking cakes, having a coffee and a chat, visiting a garden centre and doing some gardening, going shopping, providing support on medical appointments, learning how to use a smartphone or tablet, or starting a hobby – all of this becomes much easier when there is a companion to help make it happen.