Blog

December is a mad time of everyone getting ready for Christmas. I like this time of year when I can help my clients get organised for the big day.

We go out shopping to buy presents and enjoy a stop for mince pies and coffee. Sometime if someone can’t get out themselves, I can get a list from them and go and buy the things that they want.

We have fun wrapping presents and writing cards – I like to have a sing-a-long as we do it, to some Christmas carols and songs. I can take things to the post box or post office afterwards, depending on what’s needed.

I hope the festive season brings health and happiness to all my clients past and present.

Getting older is challenging at times! Physical ailments hinder what we want to achieve, and can ultimately lead to us being quite restricted in what we are able to do without help or support. Friends and family may not be able to offer this at a time convenient to us. So whether getting to the shops, or going out for a coffee somewhere because you are no longer able to do that alone, I can offer a lift and a pair of hands as well as being a friend to chat to.

Looking after a relative or friend with disabilities is also restricting, especially when someone has dementia and needs one to one support to enable them to live life to the best they can. There is a lot of pressure on partners to be there 24/7 attending to various needs. I can offer some relief by either taking your relative or friend out socially, or by staying in and sitting with them while you go out – perhaps playing a game or listening to their favourite music.

If there is anything you want to discuss by all means give me a call.

It has been shown that it may be possible to slow the progression of dementia by doing regular activities that help stimulate the brain, and also that social contact with others can help avoid the loneliness and isolation that is often felt by people living with dementia.

Physical exercise with the stimulation of outside places, especially those places that someone has always enjoyed going to, will help the person to feel relaxed and calm. If someone likes to go out alone, wayfinding or tracking apps can give someone the confidence that if they become lost, they will find their way back, or that a relative or friend will be able to find them.

Joining in with regular social engagements with friends and family are key to feeling good. Find ways to draw the person into helping or contributing to events and conversations, and if someone has difficulty in expressing themselves in words, don’t always correct what is being said, just respond in a positive way to help them feel relaxed and included in what is going on.

If the person does not have family or friends left locally, use local companionship services and dementia support groups to get them mixing with others on a regular basis.

If someone has had a hobby, try to find a way that they can still engage with it, even if it is only by touching and playing with familiar objects associated with it.

There will always be good days and bad days for people and what they can do, but doing things regularly will build a cycle that will keep someone stimulated and active.

Now the warmer, longer days are with us, it gives me more opportunity to help my clients get out and enjoy the sunshine in one of Sheffield’s many green spaces. A short (or long) stroll is beneficial in keeping fit, and enjoying the plants and trees as they flourish is mentally relaxing.

There is usually a cafe or ice cream stop on the way round to sit and unwind too!

As another year dawns, we start to think about what is missing in our lives, or what we can do to improve our enjoyment of life.

For many older people, isolation or loneliness is something they face on a daily basis. Whether that is due to loosing friends and family due to ill health, or because family are working and cannot visit them during the daytime.

I am here to befriend and give support to people isolated at home, and to help people do some of the things they want to do, but need help or companionship to do it.

If you are thinking about how you can improve your independence or social circle, give me a call to discuss how I may be able to help!