Helping Old Friends Ltd provide companionship or personal assistance service to bridge the gap in the market between no care assistance and employing a care company.
The team behind Helping Old Friends Swindon say that companionship is essential to an individual's wellbeing.
The organisation is based at Lucena House in Swindon's Shaw Village Centre.
Helping Old Friends can provide check in calls when required or a longer visit which could include the following:
- Light housework
- Putting home deliveries away
- Shopping calls
- Preparing and cooking meals
- Assistance in attending doctor's appointments
- Hairdresser appointments
- Attending hospital appointments
- Social calls
- Assistance with writing of memoirs
- Gardening and home maintenance
- Accompaniment for social events
- Tea and coffee catch up meets
The organisation say that all their staff have an enhanced police check and relevant training annually. Staff are covid-vaccinated and use full PPE, following Government guidelines.
Those that work for Helping Old Friends do not wear uniform but do carry a valid ID badge.
Below are some examples written by the Helping Old Friends team about how the organisation can assist in providing what they deem vital companionship:
"A call from a disabled young Mum to assist with the jobs she was not able to do around the house and make it easier to attend to her baby’s needs was effectively solved by using Helping Old Friends. With careful selection we were able to provide the right companion for the job and ensure continuity providing a much-needed service to help this young family
A lady who had been given vouchers over Christmas and who could get out and spend them. By employing Helping Old Friends we were able to provide a companion for her which took her to shops of her choice helping her to make the most of the vouchers she was given.Living alone with no family or techy people close by Margery, who had seen our advertisement in the Cricklade Chronicle called Helping Old Friends. We were able to get out to her and restore her TV picture and settings the way she liked them. One happy customer.
Respite from caring for a loved one is an invaluable service that Helping Old Friends can provide. Often family members are tied to their homes because of the need to care for their family member. This is where Helping Old friends can step in. We can come in for as long or as short a time as you would like, providing companionship essential to the well-being and mental health of the family carer.
James and his wife desperately needed to go away for a few days, but James was worried about leaving his elderly mum behind without support. This is where a call to Helping Old Friends came in useful. We were able to schedule in visits at agreed times to help James’s Mum around the house to ensure she was coping and had companionship for herself. We were also able to set up video calls just so James could keep in touch or just text giving James and his wife the confidence that they needed to enjoy their holiday.
There are times when a lack of confidence prevents a person from going out and enjoying social time. Helping Old Friends can step in and provide that companionship helping you to restore that confidence. It may be a short trip to the shops, or it may be a visit to the Nursery to enjoy the plants and a cup of tea. Helping Old friends can provide that service."
More information about Helping Old Friends can be found on its website at https://helpingoldfriends.co.uk/ or by calling 01793 550 895.
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