Homesharer Haylea and Householder Shirley with PossAbilities’ Ruth and Nicola.
PossAbilities Homeshare, covering Greater Manchester and beyond, supports people to ‘live the life they choose’. Their small but dedicated team grew recently as they welcomed Homeshare Assistant Nicola Glassman. We asked Nicola to tell us about her experience so far.
First Impressions
After researching a little about the Homeshare scheme for my interview, I knew how rewarding and helpful Homeshare can be. But I still had questions. What kind of people are Householders and Homesharers? How do we match and monitor them? And beyond the agreed 10 hours of support provided by the Homesharer, do Householders and Homesharers lead separate lives?
What I’ve Learnt So Far
Working with PossAbilities Homeshare has given me an insight into the ways that Homeshare can literally change someone’s life!
I’ve learnt that the 10 hours of support have to be carried out and monitored but actually Homesharers develop a great bond and spend much more than the 10 hours together; chatting, cooking, walking and watching TV etc!
I feel reassured knowing that this is a safe scheme with appropriate vetting processes in place. Now I understand, it’s up to us to find the right match! The matching process won’t be moved forward unless, after introductions, the Householder and family or friends and PossAbilities Homeshare team are all happy.
After we identify a good match, we closely monitor the Homeshare arrangement by visiting and making regular phone calls to ensure everyone is content and getting on well. I love having a great relationship with all of the matches and knowing that we are helping people live a happy life!
Both the Homesharers and Householders learn from each other in a Homeshare. It is so rewarding to watch this happen and to see the friendship develop! It is such a pleasure to spend time with lovely people – meeting Shirley who is living with dementia has been a great experience and she reminds me so much of my grandmother! She loves nothing more than being in her own home and enjoying a cup of tea.
I am so glad to be part of this and look forward to the future supporting PossAbilities Homeshare.
If you’re living or would like to live in Greater Manchester as part of a PossAbilities Homeshare, get in touch with the team!
Call 01706 626747 or email homeshare@possabilities.org.uk