How would you define companionship?
Would you describe it as something round the clock, or more limited to certain times of the day?
Is rapport necessary?
Yes, it’s difficult to describe companionship but one thing is certain—it is necessary. As human beings, we have a constant need to feel validated, loved, or close. Irrespective of our identities as social outcasts or whatever, we still have a continuous need to feel belonged.
Understanding Companionship
Friendship or fellowship – the feeling of togetherness is essentially how many people would define companionship. It is a vital connection that we feel with someone, which manifests itself as a feeling of being wanted and needed.
If you have a companion, you most likely enjoy their company and want to spend time with them. Understandably, it is a basic human need, and when these needs are not fulfilled, it can cause emotional disturbances.
Companionship as we age
While established that companionship is necessary at every stage of life, it becomes increasingly significant as we grow older. Hence, the elderly are often most likely to want and to desire someone to be around.
In retrospect, they’re at the age where people around them are going way too fast for their speed. For them to catch up to anyone, someone would have to slow down. Do people tend to slow down?
Added to this is the fact that the elderly go through several problems such as illnesses or loss of mobility attributed to their age.
Older people often suffer from loneliness for a variety of reasons. They might have lost their spouses, they could live by themselves, their families could be far away, or they might have mobility issues, hindering them from getting out and about.
Statistics indicate that almost three-quarters of the elderly in the United Kingdom feel lonely.
Companionship for the ill
Normal is a word often used in association with independence. Hence, if we recognize someone, as usual, we tend to talk about their ability to be able to be self-sufficient.
This has caused a considerable disparity. The assertion has led to a gap between our vision of normalcy and the feelings of it. For example, illness is just as normal as the next guy without the association of independence in most cases.
Hence, similar to the elderly, the ill would also require someone to reduce their speed and allow them to catch up to them for them to create feelings of companionship.
How can you help?
For starters, recognize the fact that the person living with a disability or the elderly have the same basic needs, but different ways to attain them. It doesn’t make them less human for not being able to get dressed by themselves. Similarly, it doesn’t make you a hero to help. This is fundamental decency that needs to be rendered for those who have trouble.
An excellent way to show compassion is to be empathetic in your approach. Sit down with the person in question and discuss these things to show that you care. For example, frame your questions in a way that doesn’t devalue them as impotent. Consider approaching them with statements such as ‘a situation such as yours,’ etc.
Furthermore, you can ensure that the said person has adequate support. It won’t just lift someone’s spirits by alleviating the stress that these things will be taken care of, but also helps someone living with a disability to feel supported. They are likely to feel cared for by those around them as it shows that others have taken an interest in their well-being.
Doing so would require that you assess their needs and situation accordingly as well as establish links that they may have such as family, friends, or caregivers who may help them acquire those needs. Note that ensuring the basic needs of daily living are accounted for and looked after is pivotal to enhancing life for a person with a disability.
A project of Helping Hands Birmingham, Care for You offers dedicated and trained employees that will provide those that are less likely to go about their day by themselves with rendering services such as domestic help or companionship.
