Elder Home Share: Taking care of the elderly during lockdown

Nadine Reid who is home sharing with Minnie, 95, has been cocooning with her through both the lockdowns this year. They have proven to be a source of inspiration and humor to everyone with their unique relationship and capacity to manage a difficult time with some good old fashioned laughter.

Feelings of isolation and loneliness have been heightened due to covid, especially amongst the elderly people. Alone Ireland has concluded that 55% of their callers struggling with isolation during the lockdown was over 70 and cocooning alone.

Elder Home Share matches have been able to navigate through this difficult time together and Minnie and Nadine are an excellent example of this.

Elder Home Share is a service that connects families with an elderly loved one living alone, with people seeking accommodation who provide companionship and support in exchange for a place to live.

Founder and CEO Saoirse Sheridan is the originator of the idea and has been working directly with clients on a daily basis for 5 years and has home shared herself for more than 3 years.

They provide peace of mind for elderly citizens to continue to live at home by matching them with a responsible reference-checked accommodation seeker ‘home share companion’,  who provide companionship and support in exchange for a place to live.

With ongoing customer support, a trial live in a month, Garda vetting of the home share companion, Elder Home Share is an affordable and effective home support solution for an elderly loved one.

Their Home Share Agreement has been reviewed by A&L Good Body Solicitors to ensure participants are aware of expectations and that it is a legally solid agreement protective of both the homeowner and the home share companion.

Elder Home Share is a solution that allows older homeowners to continue to live at home with a greater degree of security at night, companionship, and help with practical tasks such as light housework and shopping.

For responsible caring people who are seeking accommodation, it is an affordable living situation in exchange for sleeping in the house 6 nights a week and providing 8 hours a week companionship and support.

?Their platform connects families seeking ‘home share companions’ with people seeking accommodation. Before families can connect with potential candidates they provide a reference from a medical professional outlining that their loved one would be suitable and benefit from this solution; likewise, when families have selected a candidate for the home share, Elder Home Share will carry out a reference check on the companion and can arrange for Garda vetting too at the request of the family.

Elder Home Share provides the family with a robust home share agreement that outlines house rules and expectations.

Both the family and the home share companion sign off on this when a match is made, and the reference check is complete. There is a one month trial live in to ensure that it is working for all parties.

?For the elderly person living alone and their concerned family, the home-sharing solution proves a rewarding way to provide a level of support in the home.

Home share companions provide support to the elderly person by spending quality time together, keeping the house tidy, and going to the shop.

It is not a solution to personal care but can reduce the need and expense of traditional care service, extending life at home. ?They have been successfully matching elderly homeowners and home share companions since January 2016.

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