You should not have to ask how the visit went.
Most of our arrangements are made by an adult son or daughter, often living an hour or more away. This page is about what you get, rather than what your parent gets.
A written update after every visitA monthly callOne named person to ring
A short note, after every single visit
The worst part of arranging help from a distance is the silence. You pay for a Tuesday afternoon and then you wait, because your mother will tell you she is fine whatever the answer is.
So after every visit, your nominated contact gets a short written update from the companion who was actually there. What they did. How they seemed. Anything worth mentioning. It takes you thirty seconds to read and it removes the guessing.
It is not a clinical record and it is not a form with boxes ticked. It is a few lines from a person about an afternoon.
Thursday, 10am to 12pm · Companion: name
We went to the market and then for a coffee. He managed the walk both ways without stopping this week, which is the first time since I started.
He was in good form and talked about the allotment a lot. Two things to flag: he has run low on the tea he likes, so I have written it on the list; and he mentioned the stair light is flickering. Nothing urgent, but worth a look next time you visit.
Same time next Thursday.
Beyond the weekly note
A monthly phone call
Not an email. A proper conversation about how it is going, whether the plan still fits, and anything the companion has noticed changing.
One named person to ring
You get a name and a direct line, not a general enquiries queue. Enquiries and questions are answered within one working hour during office hours.
Early warning, not late
If we think needs are changing — mobility, memory, appetite, mood — we say so at the time. Companions record any request outside our scope on the day it happens.
We will help you find the right provider
Companionship is the right service for a long time, and then one day it is not. When someone starts needing help washing, dressing or taking medication, that is personal care, and it must be provided by an agency registered with the Care Quality Commission.
When we see that coming, we tell you early and we help you find a registered provider. We do not take a commission for that referral and we do not have a preferred partner paying us for it, because a referral that earns us money is not advice.
Where a registered agency takes over the personal care, many families keep the companionship visits going alongside it. The two do different jobs.
Free, and not a sales brochure
We are putting together a short guide to arranging company for a parent: what companionship covers and where the legal line to personal care sits, what questions to ask any provider, what free befriending services exist and how to reach them, and what the going rate is in Greater Manchester.
It names services we do not run, including free alternatives to us.
Ask and we will post or email it. There is nothing to fill in and nobody rings you afterwards.
Start with a conversation, not a contract
Tell us who the visits are for and where they live. If we can help, we will arrange a free meet-and-greet with the companion we have in mind. If we cannot, we will say so and point you somewhere that can.