Companionship Care and The Power of Marmalade
It's the little things that make the biggest difference in how we experience life. For Pat and David, it's homemade marmalade. Here’s how companionship care helps.
How Angie Helps Pat Make Marmalade for David Through Companionship Care
Pat has been making marmalade for husband David all of their married lives. It’s been a huge part of their mornings; marmalade on toast and a hot cup of tea. So when Pat started losing her sight, she thought she’d lose the ability to make David’s favourite spread. “I’ll have to get shop-bought,” she said. “I can’t possibly make it anymore.”
Angie, our Home Instead care professional, has been providing companionship care for both Pat and David for a while and could see that this was just one of the ways she could be of help. You see, companionship care isn’t about completing a strict set of tasks for a client; it’s about giving them time. Helping them engage and enjoy life. Knowing this, Angie, who had never made marmalade before, decided to ask Pat to teach her one afternoon.
“I’m not sure if I can see well enough to show you,” said an unconfident Pat.
“We’ll do everything together,” said Angie. “And you just give me a shout when you need me to take over. I’ll do all the heavy lifting so we won’t make a mess.”
Pat smiled, “Okay. Let’s give it a go.”
Angie stood by as Pat got to work, ready to jump in. But to her surprise, Pat had retained all the muscle memory and could carry out all the elements whilst only being able to actually see shadowing. She just needed to be shown that she could do it and have someone on standby for health and safety.
Pat taught Angie the whole process, and they worked together to produce eight jars of beautiful golden-orange marmalade. And they had a great time doing it. Pat was her old self again. Confident and masterful in the kitchen. The house filled with laughter and the smell of sweet citrus.
Lauren, our Business Development Manager, had popped around to say hello and brought hot cross buns, which made David very happy. He wouldn’t have to wait ’til breakfast to get his first taste of Pat’s new batch!
“We’ll have to do this again,” said Pat, turning to Angie as she took a bite of hot cross bun.
“I’d love to!” Angie answered (much to David’s delight!)
Why Home Instead Offers Careful Matching for Their Companionship Care
Wouldn’t it be a shame if we thought we had to stop enjoying life just because we are getting older and less mobile? Quality of life is everything. And it has a massive impact on how we perceive the world around us and our place in it. It also impacts our health. Our ability to stave off everything from the common cold to dementia.
It’s this sentiment that inspires us at Home Instead to ensure we pick andtrain care professionals who can nurture our clients (even if there is a reluctance to initially accept care). To spend a good deal of time carefully matching clients and care pros. And why we always insist on a minimum of one-hour visits (and why we are so surprised others don’t!), so we can go deeper with the care we provide. To make a difference.
Well-considered companionship care should offer the opportunity to experience life. To enjoy it. And we’d love to help you, too.
Do you think Mum or Dad might benefit from companionship care?
Companionship care can be a great introduction to home care. It can also be a great option for those who just need a little confidence to remain independent. It provides social interaction and engagement that stops Mum and Dad from feeling lonely or isolated.
If you’d like to explore how Home Instead can help, call us on 01252 758 716.
If you aren’t quite ready, you can download our freehome care brochure here. Or if you need help having a conversation about care (as we sometimes do), then check out our guide for that –How to have the care conversation with Mum or Dad.