Fran/Vivienne

Remember the Joys

How was your Christmas? Mine was lovely, I had my family and friends around me. I went to the pub and out for meals. All most every day, for a two weeks, we were invited round to friends’ houses, or out for lunch. This was accompanied with a big dose of dog walking every day. Walking and talking, love it. Beautiful views, exercise and just good company Loneliness: What must it be like to know .it’s Christmas and nothing to look forward to? Knowing you can’t just get in the car and see people. I felt so horrid, weird and…

Life is for Living!

Life is for living! Sitting in front of the TV waiting for something to happen is not good use of time. But sometimes it’s not that simple. Today more and more of us are living longer and longer, yes this needs to be celebrated. We need to continue to live healthy and fulfilling lives, day to day. The challenge is how? When our mobility is limited, our memory is not so clear and our friends are slowly passing away it’s not so easy. Day by day, week by week fewer and fewer people visit/call, sometimes older people will not see…

Safe, Safely, Safety – How safe is our service?

Safety is paramount, our clientele have to be assured our service is as safe as it can be. Safety to us is both physical health and mental health. It is of the most importance anyone who employs Just Company are assured they or theirs are in safe hands. Of course, all of our companions have current DBS (Disclosure and Barring Service) checks, insurance, their car’s are insured and have current MOT’s. One thing we have to remember is we are not Carers but we really do care. Our standards are high, more so for respect for our clientele than anything else.…

Making a real difference – Just Company Going to the Cinema

The son of a wonderful woman  asked if Just Company would take his mum (I will call her June which is not her real name) to the cinema to see the King and I. Going to the cinema and theatre were June’s favourite activities until she could not hear the soundtrack, so stopped going. This was going to be the  first time June had been to the cinema in over 5 years. In fact this was going to be one of her biggest outings since moving to her small, but comfortable semi independent living complex. Firstly we needed to sort…

How much?!?

So what would it cost to have a Just Company companion? This is a question we are asked all the time, a question hard to answer. The question is what is the ‘price’ of companionship? Someone who brings happiness and friendship who is dependable, respectful and trustworthy. This companion brings relief from long periods of isolation, boredom – bringing a welcome break from being trapped in one place, with no break, sometimes for days and weeks on end. Why is it hard to answer, because there are a multitude of variations. Firstly,  Companionship is what you pay for. This is…

A Just Company Companion is…..

What is a companion? One of the biggest related factors that contribute to poor health and wellbeing is isolation. In fact as far back as 2013 the NHS were aware that social isolation is associated with a higher risk of death. How so?  A body of research suggests this is due to the emotional effects of isolation – in other words feeling lonely and being isolated is bad for our health. However, this is complex, it is too simplistic to just say social isolation causes early death. Other factors to consider are socio economic status, demographics, geography and initial health…

Christmas – A Catalyst for Uncontrollable Loneliness.

Loneliness is not a numerical measure of connection or companionship, it’s an experience of deep emotional and/or social disconnection. Loneliness is not only harrowing emotionally, it can have a devastating impact on our mental and physical wellbeing. Loneliness cultivates depression, it is proven to suppress our immune system, stress our physical health, and when sustained it affects our life expectancy. Arriving at an age we never imagined arriving at must be so depressing. Now you can’t drive your car, you can’t get to the shops like you use to. Not being able to spontaneously call in on friends and family must be…

Independence

Independence, independence, independence – what a loaded word. What does independence mean to someone? Is it having a car, is it making a cup of tea whenever you want. Or is it just being able to do what you want, when you want, how you want? Here at Just Company we have had some really interesting times. But we are happy, Just Company is doing just what it said it was going to do: Maintain independence. Here is how one of our clients feels: Quote: ‘My mum has always been fiercely independent and I think it is very important to…

HRH Prince Charles and Just Company

Prince Charles made our day, Prince Charles made everyone’s day yesterday as he spent hours wondering round the Westmorland County Show. We were there, a client and I, what a fantastic day. To be topped by seeing HRH and we were very close, made it even more special. (http://www.nwemail.co.uk/news/lakes/Royal-visit-jewel-in-the-crown-of-the-Westmorland-Show-c1648385-70c8-4155-bdd6-3a0f2719606e-ds) Our plan was just to go, have a quick look round and then leave before our feet hurt too much and we were covered in mud. Firstly, we did not get covered in mud, the ground dried out as we were walking around. Secondly, we were there for hours, watching the horses,…

We are Growing

Growing we are, the word is out; companionship is essential to maintaining our wellbeing. Just Company knows that family members struggle and are torn between managing their everyday responsibilities and spending time and company with their elderly loved ones. I was talking with my aunt about this, she really misses having someone around however, she knows her son is really busy and her daughter lives miles away. My aunt is very clear she doesn’t want to hassle them because she knows it will make them feel guilty. So when I call I ask what she is up to and it’s…