“Companion” – an old Middle English word that means “one who breaks bread with another.”
Such a picturesque word! To break bread with another means that you are sharing a meal with someone in an atmosphere of safety and belonging and trust. Over time, we have come to think of companionship as an extension of this rite of breaking bread. Companionship is spending time with someone you like, doing positive and enjoyable things together. Sure you can go for a walk by yourself, but how much better to go for a walk with a companion! You can watch a favorite show alone and enjoy it, but how much more meaningful and rich it is to watch it with a companion! The desire for companionship is part of our humanness, it is hard-wired into our DNA. We are social beings who enjoy the company of others. A companion is not a luxury; it is a necessity.
Sadly, for people in assisted living or nursing homes, it is not as easy as you might think to find companionship, though there are nurses and aides and other residents milling around. Aides are responsible for 8 or 10 people, often even more, and nurses deal with the medications and medical needs of all the residents on a unit. They have little time for companionship. And we all know how busy families are, with work and kids’ schedules and house responsibilities and commitments filling every minute of every day. Though they wish it were otherwise, families don’t have time or live too far for regular visits. They worry about their loved one and feel guilty that they cannot visit, but, so often, there is little they can do, though they know how much their loved one looks forward to visits.
Fortunately, family visits are not the only ones that provide great value. Visits with a companion foster improved mental health, feelings of well-being, and decreased depression and anxiety.
People who have regular visits with a companion show improved memory and cognitive functioning. When residents have things to look forward to, such as a visit from a family member, a friend, a companion, they experience positive feelings of anticipation, that lead to decreased feelings of loneliness and stress and an improved quality of life. So, give your loved one the gift of companionship when life commitments and time constraints or distance prevent you from visiting as often as you would like.
