Do you want a helping hand for yourself or a loved one, but don't need a nurse or allied health professional? Companionship support may be just what you need.
We started Like Family to help Australians with their non-medical needs. While other healthcare providers focus on things like personal care and administering medication, we're all about helping people to engage with their community, increase independence and find lasting companionship.
So what is a companionship support service? And how does it work?
What is a companionship support service?
Companionship services can fall under a wide range of different terms – like disability support, aged care, social support, event buddies or home care services.
Ultimately, they refer to support services that help people learn new skills, increase independence, build relationships, and live more fulfilling lives. This could come in many forms, like:
- community access
- help with household tasks
- transportation
- meal preparation & cooking
- grocery shopping and errands
- arts & craft
- exercise and outdoor adventures
- and much more!
They don't include activities relating to personal care, medical care, or professional services (like financial advice).
Like Family is an NDIS provider that provides companionship services. In fact, we specialise in it! We do this via our growing network of Social Carers.
Are Social Carers support workers?
Our Social Carers are everyday people (awesome people) from the community who want to make a positive difference in the world. Like Family has Social Carers with a wide range of skillsets and languages based throughout NSW, Queensland, and Victoria.
All Social Carers are fully vetted with an NDIS Worker Check and reference checks, and go through a comprehensive on-boarding process including a face-to-face induction and an online values test to ensure they meet our standards.
While you may have a nurse or disability support worker help with your medical or personal care needs, our Social Carers are here to provide social and community care.
What kind of support do Social Carers provide?
Social Carers help people of all ages and abilities to increase their independence and participate in their community. Social Carers provide companionship and non-medical support such as playing chess with elderly relatives who have arthritis, or such as helping someone with a disability to get out in the fresh air to exercise safely and with supervision where needed.
Our Social Carers can help with transport to appointments, can help you stay active, provide regular check-in visits, meal preparation, light housekeeping and be event buddies – whatever non-medical support you need!
How does it work?
You can become a Like Family Member to either find support for yourself or to find support on behalf of someone else. Tell us a little about yourself and your personality, so you can get matched with compatible Social Carers in your local community. You can search for Social Carers based on location, age, experience and even interests!
After telling us a little about yourself, the next step is to post your first Activity. An ‘Activity’ is a job post where can go into more detail about the kind of support you’re looking for. For example, you might ask for a Social Carer to accompany you to a music festival for 3 hours on a Friday. During this stage, you can also directly message people who seem suitable for what you need.
Once you've connected with a potential Social Carer, you can set up a free 1-hour Meet and Greet. This is a great opportunity to ask any questions and see if you'll be a good fit for each other. You can do it in person or via a phone or video call.
Keen to try Like Family? Sign up as a Member now and see why we have received over 100 five-star reviews on Google Reviews.