The coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic has put loneliness in the spotlight like never before. When lockdown came, suddenly the majority of the population were asked to remain at home, isolated from other households and work colleagues, leaving most of us missing human contact with our families, friends, neighbours and co-workers.

Some people who had never experienced loneliness before began to report feelings of loneliness and isolation, and for those already feeling this way – particularly many older and disabled people – their plight was intensified. With more people now experiencing and talking about loneliness than ever before, it’s no wonder the Marmalade Trust have said of this year’s Loneliness Awareness Week:

“Our aim is to empower everyone to understand loneliness one conversation at a time. By building on our understanding, we can help ourselves and others to manage feelings of loneliness.”

Unicare and loneliness campaigning

We are a long-standing champion of loneliness as a serious issue that requires greater understanding and support. We’ve worked with other organisations to help further the loneliness agenda, knowing first hand as we do the hugely negative effects of being lonely that many of us experience and that particularly impact upon the most vulnerable in society whom we support.

Many people engage with us initially because their older or disabled loved ones are chronically lonely, and one of the huge advantages to live-in care is how it is able to decrease loneliness purely through the model of having a fellow human being living with a lonely person.

Companionship really does make a difference

For many of us prior to lockdown, companionship may have seemed like a rather unimportant aspect of life, but without it lots of people have felt utterly bereft. As human beings, most of us are naturally sociable, and as those interactions have been forced onto screens and down phonelines during the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, the need to be in the presence of another person and to be able to communicate face-to-face has dominated how many people have counted down the days until lockdown eased.

We’ve always known the huge benefits of companionship, and as a result offer a very popular standalone companionship service, as well as reassuring our clients that companionship naturally runs through all of our other services too. It is the friendships that are formed between our clients and live-in home care workers that make us most proud to be a live-in care provider. Seeing first-hand how a person’s physical and mental wellbeing can be improved through such human interaction is an incomparable joy.

Let us alleviate your loved one’s loneliness

You may be considering live-in home care for many reasons: your loved one’s health has deteriorated or they have just come out of hospital, you can’t cope with family caring responsibilities any more, or you are simply too far away to support your loved one effectively and don’t want them to move into a care home due to the risks associated with this from the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic.

Alleviating loneliness might not be something that is high on your wish list, but it can make the world of difference to a vulnerable person’s health, happiness, sense of purpose, and even their will to live. Now so many of us have experienced loneliness for the first time due to the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, it’s important to consider that if you always felt lonely and had no real prospect of feeling any different how severely this would potentially impact upon your life.

Our live-in home care services provide that alleviation of loneliness, alongside all of the other support your loved one might need, from help around the home and cooking meals, through to personal care, assistance with pursuing interests and hobbies, or more intensive support relating to health conditions including:

Let us change your loved one’s life for the better and help them to banish loneliness for good. Complete our online Care Assessment Tool now for a quick and convenient overview of the most appropriate Unicare service for you. Alternatively, please visit www.unicare-livein.co.uk get in touch with our team on 0208 239 6877 or email info@unicarerecruit.co.uk.

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