We look after people as we would look after our own family, until the end

Yesterday Emily and I went to the funeral of this charming gentleman. I have never been to such a happy funeral. The love that the family have for their father and each other felt tangible. The sadness of his passing was lifted by the warmth in the room and the kind words of his son. I have never laughed so much at a funeral!  

Although nearly 90, this chap was larger than life, still driving his sports car and telling everyone about his career, his hobbies and achievements, and most of all his race horses. He was such a big character in a much depleted body. Although we didn’t know him when he was younger and stronger he was keen to talk about his life and gave a real sense of who he had been. 

We met him after a hospital stay when he was probably at his weakest but still determinedly independent. Our job was to bring him the paper every day and wash up from the bacon and eggs that he had always made himself in the morning. We kept the flat in order and took him for a walk around the garden and let his daughter know how things were going.

He particularly liked our helper Hannah, who is the same age as his grandchildren. She would pop in every day during the Easter holidays, picking up bits of shopping and anything he needed. One day she found he had fallen over and let me know straight away so I could tell his daughter. They developed a real friendship and she said he was really looking forward to seeing her when she finished university. 

It is always sad when a client passes away, and it is a hard part of the job to have to tell their helpers. As we were in to see him every day, he had a little team of ladies who were all fond of him. It is a testament to him that they all felt a real sense of loss when they heard that he had passed away, albeit peacefully at home. 

The family thanked us sincerely for our help and said we had had lightened his days in his last few weeks. 

Teresa said about her last day with him, “I took him for a walk in the garden and he sat in the sun singing out loud in a beautiful choir voice. I made him tea and biscuits and we sat chatting in the sunshine and he said he was enjoying the beauty of the garden”. She said, “Adrian was a gentleman and I will miss seeing him”. 

Hook Home Help is providing help and companionship for older people in and around Hook. It is often the small things that make a big difference to people’s lives. We look after people as we would look after our own family, until the end. And when the times comes we will miss them, we will continue to talk about them, and we will take their stories with us