Community Activities Bring Lasting Benefits for Walfinch Client

A former pilot, John experienced memory issues after a stroke, and Sandra was looking for a bit of extra support. While they didn’t need the typical daily visits many care providers offer – Sandra is with John most of the time – she found a flexible and personalised solution through Walfinch Home Care Chiswick, Hammersmith and Kensington.

The answer came in the form of Mike, a member of the Walfinch care team who started his career during the pandemic, after discovering how much he enjoyed helping older people with their shopping. Now, he visits John for a couple of hours every fortnight.

Mike takes John to Sparkle, an intergenerational community hub based at St Stephen’s Church in East Putney. There, older adults connect with local nursery and school children through shared activities, lunch, and conversation.

“John enjoys doing the standing or seated exercises, breathing exercises and meditation – and I join in too,” says Mike. “Sometimes we do singing, and there are activities like craft and games, which we can all join in with the children. It means the children enjoy time with their ‘grand friends’ and the older people can pass on skills and knowledge to the children.”

“Mike is more like a friend than a career and we enjoy our time together,” John adds.

Sandra explains “Mike and John chat together and John likes taking part in the exercises and activities at Sparkle, which are good for physical health and overall wellbeing. I’ve seen improvements in John’s condition and mood since Mike started taking him to these activities.”

John is still able to do quite a bit independently – he even attends a local Singing for the Brain session on his own – but he does need a bit of support for other things. And having some male company now and then is a welcome change, says Sandra.

Thanks to the** flexibility of Walfinch’s service**, Mike can also step in during evenings if Sandra is unavailable. Sometimes he’ll come over to cook and eat dinner with John. Sandra jokes: “John says Mike’s pasta dishes are better than mine!”

“Mike provides proper individualised care and he’s genuinely interested in John,” she adds. “As a care customer you must be confident that a care provider really understands what’s needed. Everyone in the team at Walfinch Home Care Chiswick, Hammersmith and Kensington understands what John needs, and I trust them completely.”