Client Stories

Mrs J has lived alone in a retirement flat for many years following the death of her husband. She used to get out and about, but as time has passed, she has become housebound and relies on others coming in for company and support. She has carers that see to her personal needs, but is a sociable person and wanted more company due to her isolated circumstances.

I have been seeing Mrs J for several years now and I regularly take in the shopping she needs when I visit, but mainly we just sit and talk about her troubles, the world troubles and other issues along the way. Mrs J has a good sense of humour and we always have a laugh too. I can also admire the paintings that she does of cartoon animals in her spare time.

Mr P has Alzheimers and lives with his wife at home. Mr P is a sociable happy person, but because of his dementia he has lost the ability to communicate properly, so although he talks a lot, what he says is jumbled and doesn’t make a lot of sense.

As he needs a lot of attention and reassurance, his wife also needed some time to herself to do what she wants to. When I take Mr P out for walks in the local parks, his wife knows he is in capable hands.

Mr P and I have lots of conversation when we’re out and about, and I find that as long as I listen and pay attention to what he is saying, and read his facial expressions to know how he is feeling as he speaks, we get on very well and he remains relaxed and happy – of course we always enjoy a coffee stop and a bun together.

When we get back home, he looks out for his wife, and is happy to see her when she arrives back home from her outing.

Mrs D is lonely since her husband died and does not have any family left to visit her as she is in her 90’s. She likes shopping at M&S food for her weekly meals. There she can browse and chose what she likes to eat. Afterwards we go for a coffee at Costa Coffee and have a good talk about any current issues. She really looks forward to our outings, as it is often the only time she goes out during the week.

Once back home I can help her unpack things as necessary and put them away, or do any other small jobs around the house that she struggles with. I also accompany Mrs D to her dental, optical or hospital appointments when required.

Mr C has Alzhiemer’s and lives at home with his wife. He likes music and was an accomplished musician – he can still play his instruments when prompted. He likes to go out for cake and coffee, and so we often visit their local garden centres, and go into the cafés there. Afterwards we have a look round the plants there.

At home we listen to music and play simple games like dominoes, and pairs with some bird cards.

His wife goes into town, or to one of her monthly meetings while I am with Mr C allowing her some quality time to herself. Mr and Mrs C call it ‘Debbie Day’ as he really looks forward to my visits.

Mrs P lives in a care home as she has dementia, but she is still quite active. Her family are working during the day, so I am able to go in and take Mrs P out for a walk. We have a nice talk as we go round the local parks, and we like to discuss how the seasons change the plants and trees around us. She enjoys getting out and doing something different.

In the home if we don’t go out, we look at books together and listen to her favourite group ‘The Beatles’ and sing along to some of their songs.

Mr G is independent but likes some help with cooking meals he can then freeze and eat later. I also help with his ironing, or help him change the bed when needed. We always stop for a cup of tea and a chat while I am there so we can put the world to rights.

I have visited Mrs H for a number of years, she has Alzheimer’s but still lives alone at home. Initially, we went out for coffee to the garden centre’s and café’s she liked to visit, and we bought the odd plant for her garden.

Latterly she is house bound with carers going in to see to her personal needs, but we maintain our friendship, and we look at old photo’s together, play games like snakes and ladders and watch some of the programmes she likes. I always ensure she has some fresh flowers to look at as they mean a lot to her.