Guide to Companionship for the Elderly

What is companionship care?

Companionship care provides companionship and friendship at a time when it is most needed, aiming to reduce or prevent loneliness in a person who might otherwise become isolated. Varying from several hours a day to just a few hours a week, it can have a huge impact on the day-to-day outlook and positivity of someone who would otherwise be totally alone.

Social interaction can make all the difference, and when someone feels surrounded by people who value and support them they feel happier and more confident. When someone has reduced mobility or other disabilities social interaction becomes even more important.

Improving quality of life

Our companionship care assistants provide emotional and/or physical support where necessary and aim to ensure quality of life is as high as possible.

Our companionship support also extends to adults and younger people. At Caremark we understand that having someone around to help or to chat to is key for people of all ages. We can find the perfect companion for those looking for this kind of support.

Here we look at what Caremark’s companionship care services can offer you and your family.

In this guide we’ll focus on: 

The leading causes of loneliness
How Caremark’s companionship carers can help
How we select the right carer for you or your loved one
How much companionship care costs

A member of our friendly team will be happy to give you further details about Caremark’s companionship care services and how we can help you or your loved one. Please click here to find the contact details for your local office.

Loneliness can happen to anyone

Loneliness has many impacts and can be caused by a number of reasons, from losing a loved one or lifelong friend, and becoming less physically able to get out and about or do the things you enjoy, to losing the social contact and enjoyment you used to get from work. Living with mental or physical health issues can also increase your risk of becoming lonely.

Social activities might demand too much energy - both emotional or physical - and, although loneliness isn’t actually a mental health condition, it can certainly affect your emotional health, leading to decreased energy, feeling foggy or unable to focus, insomnia, decreased appetite or feelings of hopelessness or worthlessness.

And it doesn't discriminate

While older people are more vulnerable to social isolation, younger people are also at risk, especially if mobility problems get in the way of taking part in activities and going out. Loneliness doesn't discriminate and can happen to anyone. When loneliness does strike it can occur in a vicious cycle, leading to detachment from society and difficulties getting back to connecting and interacting. Demographically men over the age of 60 are far more likely to suffer from loneliness and they are also the least likely to seek help.

A bit of company can make all the difference

Our companionship care assistants tailor their activities to meet you or your loved one’s needs and can assist with simple tasks, playing games perhaps, and encouraging suitable activities away from the home, if appropriate.

Your or your family member’s unique companionship support package can range from having cup of tea and a piece of cake a couple of times a week to running errands with you, accompanying you to your local Bridge club, or even going on holiday with you.

A friend to spend time with or someone you can ask for a bit of help with modern life?

There are a multitude of reasons you or your loved one might be considering companionship care. Here we’ve listed a few of the ways in which our services could help:

A bit of company

You or your family member might have lost a loved one or may be suffering from limited mobility which makes getting out and about tricky. A companionship carer could take you or your loved one out, give a bit of extra support around the home, or just share a cuppa and a chat.

Running errands

Jobs that you or your loved one used to do so easily can become a huge challenge to achieve but with a friendly companion there for extra support, picking up your pension or going to the post office suddenly becomes manageable again.

Holidays

Physical disability or illness shouldn’t have to mean things like holidays have to stop, nor should the fact that maybe there isn’t anyone obvious to go away with you. A companionship care assistant could accompany you on holiday, in the UK or abroad, and offer support while you’re there.

Hobbies and social activities

There are plenty of clubs and day centres all over the UK that bring like-minded people together for hobbies, social occasions and health activities. However, when you’re feeling depressed or lonely and if you also perhaps have physical disabilities or difficulty getting around, joining in can take a huge amount of effort.
Keeping up with social activities and hobbies can make all the difference to someone with depression or loneliness. A companionship carer could attend clubs and groups with you and help you feel human and enjoy your life.

Driving and accompanying you out and about

Whether it's a doctor’s appointment or a friend’s house for tea, a companionship carer assistant could drive you or your family member there or help with the bus or public transport.

Help at home

Sometimes the amount you or your loved one needs to do at home just to keep up with life is all too much. A companionship care assistant could support and assist with daily tasks and chores - providing an extra pair of hands and a friend to chat to at the same time.

Helping with the challenges of modern life

As well as offering friendship, a companionship care assistant could help you or your friend or relative master the difficulties of modern life, including:

using a mobile phone, TV remote control or computer
paying bills and understanding financial documents
getting funding advice or help with claiming benefits

Finding the perfect companion

Accepting a new companion into you or your loved one’s home can be a daunting prospect but with Caremark you have the peace of mind of knowing that our companionship care assistants have all been employed and extensively trained by us, through our award-winning programme. Our carers are DBS (criminally) checked and reference checked, and our management team continually assess how they are getting on once a care assistant is placed with a client to ensure they are achieving their goals and attending to your or your family member’s needs.

Aside from all this our companionship carers are great people, with excellent people skills. We only select the kindest, nicest, warmest carers - people we’d like to be our companion - and then we help build on their attributes by putting them on our extensive training programme. Our care assistants have all chosen a career in caring for a good reason - they enjoy being with people and looking after them and, what’s more, caring for others comes naturally to them.

For more information about our training programme click here.

Familiarity and friendship

We want you or your loved one to build familiarity and friendship with your carer and we go above and beyond to match our companionship care assistants with clients that have similar interests and hobbies. Having a regular companion to help with errands, hobbies and activities ultimately leads to a great relationship being developed and that goes a long way to helping combat loneliness.

“When my wife died I was devastated. It changed so much and it was the little things I missed like our weekly trips to the shops. My daughter does so much but has her own family and busy life to lead. When she got in touch with Caremark they were able to do so much to help fill in the gaps and combat the loneliness I was feeling. I now have Sid, a fun companionship carer who loves chess just as much as me and comes to my weekly club with me. It’s great to be able to get out a bit and see my friends. I still miss my wife so much but Sid takes my mind off it for a little but each week.”

Stanley, age 87, from Cardiff.

How much does companionship care cost?

In a few circumstances companionship care can be funded. It’s a good idea to talk to your local council or Clinical Commissioning Group (CCG) to see if you might be entitled to financial support with companionship care.

Arranging a carer's assessment

A carer’s assessment is designed to see what might help make your life easier. It’s a chance to discuss your needs with your local council so they can decide how best to support you. If they feel you need support they’ll work with you to put together a care plan, which might include using respite services. Your loved one should also have a needs assessment, which is organised through their local council so extra support can be arranged if appropriate.

Financial assessment

If you or your loved one are found to need support, your local council will carry out a financial assessment to discover what you can afford to pay. If you are eligible for financial support to pay for companionship care, your local council can arrange these services for you or you can choose to receive direct payments and arrange companionship care privately.

You may qualify for funding and it's possible that you or your family member may not need to pay anything at all. Visit our Guide to Financing section for further information or get in touch with the team at your local office by filling out the form at the bottom to receive a personalised quote.

Direct payments

Caremark can accept direct payments for companionship care. Please contact your local office here for further information about how this works.

Funding from charities and funds

There are a few grants, funds and charities that may be able to help with funding to pay for companionship care. Click here to find out more.

Age UK have put together this helpful guide to paying for home care.

Accessibility Options

Combat loneliness with companionship care