Hook Home Help is providing companionship and company to people in our local community
I think a lot of people don’t realise when they are lonely. Either they can’t see or they don’t want to admit it to themselves let alone anyone else. The first time I noticed that someone needed company more than home help was a gentleman who reluctantly allowed me in to help with the housework but each week would announce slightly earlier that it was time to have a cup of tea and a chat. He chatted about the headlines of the day, politics in general, his family and his whole life. He asked after my children and remembered when they were doing exams and what they did for work. I was very touched. Over the months I realised that he had some social anxiety which made meeting new people difficult but actually he did like a chat and at his funeral his whole extended family told me how much he had talked about me and how much they had appreciated my visits. His children, grandchildren and great children - everyone knew my name and I was greeted like a celebrity. Everyone greeted me with, “Oh, YOU are Penny, it is great to meet you, thank you so much for everything you did for our grandad”.
We can feel lonely even when we have friends and family. Maybe they are too busy or we do not feel seen or heard. Sometimes it can be easier to talk to someone who isn’t family. I had one client who would talk a lot about the death of her husband and how sad she felt. She did not want to burden her children with this because she did not want them to know how sad she was. She felt better for talking about and would then move on to happier things.
Loneliness has a massive effect on our mental and physical health – it’s seen as one of the biggest health concerns we face. Loneliness has been linked to early death and an increased risk of heart disease, stroke, depression, cognitive decline and poor sleep. It’s as harmful to our health as smoking 15 cigarettes a day. People who feel lonely are more than twice as likely to develop Alzheimer’s, and other forms of dementia, than those who do not feel lonely.
One of my clients was a very independent woman who would never have admitted to being lonely but did really just want me to sit on the sofa and chat. I could get some jobs done but she kept extending my hours so that we would have more time to chat. She would make sure I was there with her to watch important political events on television, so that we could talk about them together. One of my favourite memories with her was watching Trump’s inauguration and her commentary on all the women’s outfits!
This is Loneliness Awareness Week. Hook Home Help is providing companionship and company to people in our local community. Contact me if you would like to know more about what we do
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