Lightening the Load

10/02/2025

🥰This photo sums up everything we are about - at every opportunity, we do our best to tap into our customers' past and present interests. This helps put meaning into someone's day, helps stimulate cognitive function, brings about feelings of security and being valued, recognised and understood.❤️

*I have anonymised this post for reasons of confidentiality.

🥰This lovely customer with Alzheimer's was a teacher about 35-40 years ago. We brought some same subject matter to our session - the same as the customer used to teach.

At first the customer laughed and said "that was over 40 years ago", then lit up and went on to say, "come on we've got work to do" and proceeded to recite the alphabet twice and write down and read some of the letters.

😄☀️It was one of those amazing moments of realisation about how something from the past can bring so much joy inspite of life's daily challenges.

Also, on this same day, we ensured that the customer had eaten and drank, we talked about the birds, read the newspaper together and sang together to the Welsh male voice choir. 🎵

Whilst we were delivering this wonderful session, the customer's family member, who is the carer, was able to go out for a walk, get a drink in a cafe and enjoy some well deserved time out!❤️

📞 If you would like to know more about our services, please feel free to call or email for an informal, friendly, no obligation chat:

Tel/Text: 0787 404 2416

📧 Email:
[email protected]

Website: lighteningtheload.org.uk

01/02/2025

❤️AMAZING! WE ARE 4 YEARS OLD TODAY!

🥰Our extremely valuable and needed service, so far, has helped 47 customers, including couples, to put hope, meaning and purpose back into theirs and their families lives and we continue to do so.

❤️We provide continuity, trust, friendship, companionship and deliver cognitive stimulation activities tailor made to our customers own interests.

We were a team of two. We are now a team of 7! Our team are wonderful, very special people and are totally dedicated to our customers - they go over and above!

Our reputation has grown and grown - we wanted to provide something special and unique from the outset -
just as intended, we have filled that huge gap in services between someone needing no support and someone reaching crisis point.

❤️We provide that rare bit in between! Services like ours are hard to find - we were determined to close that gap. It's worked!

We have helped people with Dementia including Alzheimer's, Parkinson's, Stroke, mobility restrictions, end of life, visual impairment, other long term conditions that come with older age living...plus more!

🙏We would like to say a HUGE thank you to all of our customers, their families, our partnerships, referrers including Social Prescribing, various NHS and social care partners, voluntary organisations and community networks, for believing in our service as much as we do!

THANK YOU! ☺️

For more information about how we may be able to help, please do not hesitate to contact us for a friendly, no obligation chat:

Tel/Text: 0787 404 2416

Or

Message by clicking the Message icon at the top of this page

OR

Email:
[email protected]

Website: lighteningtheload.org.uk

10/01/2025

❤️The Lightening the Load team have every reason to be proud this week.

😀We cannot tell you how much feedback of praise the team has received this week - it's actually been quite humbly overwhelming.

🥳Not only have our customers and families expressed how happy and amazed they are at what we do, we have also had gushing compliments from various NHS services, the Council, private organisations and charity partners.

🥰Words cannot express what a fabulous job our team do providing our unique tailor made services to our customers.

❤️Our team are a life line to so many older people and families. They are very special, incredible people.❤️

For more information about how we may be able to help, please do not hesitate to contact us for an informal, friendly chat.

Tel: 0787 404 2416

Email: [email protected]

Or please use the Message icon at the top of this page.

Website: www.lighteningtheload.org.uk

(We also got complimented on our website this week!)

06/01/2025

😃Hello Everyone, Happy New Year!

🥳We will be 4 years old on the 1st February!

😃Our unique tailor made support services for older people have built a fantastic local reputation, receiving regular wonderful feedback from our customers and their families.

🥰We have supported so many older people across the area and helped put meaning back into their lives during this time.

☺️Our customers come from all walks of life. Some were lonely sitting out long days without seeing anyone day after day, some were bored, some have medical conditions such as Stroke, Parkinson's, Multiple Sclerosis, heart conditions, early/mid-stage Dementia including Alzheimer's plus lots more.

❤️❤️DID YOU KNOW? We see individual customers and couples - often, two older people looking after one another just need that extra bit of support in their lives to help them
get through their days.

We receive wonderful feedback about the positive difference we have made to lives - our customers and their families.

😍ABOUT US.....We are a team of 7 - kind, empathetic, compassionate, great listeners, professional, skilled, experienced, able to build long lasting trusting relationships and friendships, we can think on our feet, adapt to changing situations, we have emotional intelligence and common sense, we plan and tailor all of our sessions to match our customers interests and requests.

♥️We are often described as the extra family member when other family members can't be there. We are also the eyes and ears for our families! ❤️

😊We work alongside many other organisations - the main thing that matters to us is that our customers needs and wants are at the heart of everything we do!

CONTACT INFORMATION: If you would like more information and a friendly, no obligation chat, please call:

Tel/Text: 0787 404 2416

Or Email: [email protected]

For more information too, we also have a website:
www.lighteningtheload.org.uk

We also receive referrals from health professionals, Age UK, Social Prescribers, voluntary and private organisations, Social Care.

02/01/2025

29/12/2024

🥳We would like to wish all of our wonderful customers, their families and all of the other fantastic organisations we work alongside, a Very Happy 2025!

❤️2024 has been a year of doing so many things with our customers including:

Friendship, companionship, cognitive stimulation, laughing, chatting, singing, dancing, outings, armchair exercises, lots of tea and cake, garden centres, shops, looking through books, talking about and spotting the birds, Christmas activities, crafting, baking, preparing meals together, helping tidy out cupboards, helping with light household duties, choosing outfits, making appointments, going to appointments, attending events, attending social groups, tea in a garden, going to the hairdressers, organising and looking at photographs, reminiscing, helping wrap presents and write cards, sowing seeds, dog walking and visits, going to the library, choosing large print books together, ensuring medication, drinks and food have been had plus so very much more!

🥰We would love to hear from you if you would like to find out more about how we can provide you or a loved one with tailor made support.

😊Thank you for your continued custom. May 2025 be full of good health and happiness! 😄

🥰With Best Wishes from Fran and the amazing Lightening the Load Team where everyone's needs are always at the heart ♥️ of all we do.

Tel: 0787 404 2416

Or private message using the message link above

Or Email: [email protected]

Website: lighteningtheload.org.uk

29/12/2024

23/12/2024

18/12/2024

😍We received this lovely feedback last night:

"I wish other people visiting my wife would do things with her. Your service is exactly what I wanted for her. It's boring sitting in a chair all day. Your service is just what we wanted and found hard to find."

🥰It is only Wednesday and our lovely customers have been doing so many things!

❤️Here are just a few pictures from the past couple of days!

🎄We have also helped a customer put up their Christmas tree and decorations, taken a customer for tea and cake, helped clear out a cupboard, put washing in the machine and dryer, looked at photographs, taken a customer to a carol concert, taken another customer shopping, ensured customers have eaten and taken their meds, helped write Christmas cards plus lots lots more in less than a week!❤️

🥰We really are tailor made to meet our customers wants and needs!

😄All of these activities help
Improve mental wellbeing, help sustain physical and memory skills, help build confidence, help put purpose back into others' lives, provide friendship, companionship, conversation, laughter, help people feel valued and not forgotten and best of all put some happiness into someone's day.

If you would like more information about our very special, unique, tailor made service provided by our wonderful gifted team, please do not hesitate to contact us on:

Tel/text: 0787 404 2416

Facebook direct message - Lightening the Load

Email: [email protected]

15/12/2024

❤️We had a lovely evening last week taking one of our customer's to her husband's carol concert. 🎶

💖Every week, we sit with a customer who has very little mobility and some memory issues, so that her husband can go to choir practice. 🎵

❤️Each week, during our sessions, we chat, laugh, play games, we have made Christmas cards and mince pies, looked at old photographs, looked through books and magazines together, reminisced and even sang together! We wash up the dishes and tidy around a little so that when her husband comes home, he can just rest. He is in his 90's and is the main carer. Close family live all over the UK.

🥰Our services are completely tailor made. We are like the extra family member who can pitch in, help and give someone else time out. At the same time we provide cognitive stimulation and activities to make someone's day a better place to be!🥰

😔Caring for someone else can be exhausting at any time. Imagine doing it when you are very elderly and so many are doing exactly this!

For more information and a friendly, informal chat to find out if we can meet your needs, please feel free to contact us:

Tel/Text: 0787 404 2416

Email: [email protected]

Message: please click the message us button at the top of this page.

You can also read more about us in our website: lighteningtheload.org.uk

🎄We look forward to hearing from you and wish all of our customers and followers, referrers and friends a very Happy Christmas and much happiness and good health in 2025! 🎄🙏

11/12/2024

🥰Our team are 100% the kindest group of people I have ever had the pleasure of working with! ❤️

☺️They are a very special, unique group of people whose personality, skills and experience combined together are genuinely rare to find!

❤️They have our customers needs and wants at the heart ❤️ of everything they do!

🥰They all have innate empathy, can naturally read situations and adapt, they are kind and understanding, friendly, always have a smile on their faces, they tap into our customers interests and abilities and create sessions completely tailor made. This means our customers are engaged, happy, feel valued, they feel safe, they can build trust and they are respected for who they are. 🥰

If you would like to find out more about what we do and how we may be able to help you, you and a loved one and your families, please feel free to contact us for a friendly, no obligation chat:

Tel/text: 0787 404 2416

Email: [email protected]

Website: www.lighteningtheload.org.uk

07/12/2024

😍I saw the word "RE-ENGAGEMENT" this morning - it is not a word we use very often!

😢Imagine how life would feel if you are not engaged in anything! It happens a lot sadly!

🥰When I saw the word, I thought that's EXACTLY what our fabulous team do!

❤️ We "RE-ENGAGE" and it is all wrapped up in a huge parcel of warmth, companionship, smiles, friendship, feelings of being safe again, finding meaning again and not being alone.

🥰One of the amazing skills our fabulous team have, amongst many, is they know how to tap into what our customers used to love doing but thought they couldn't do anymore.

😔Sometimes, our customers have had years not going out, sitting all day, hoping someone may just think to pop in.

One 96 year old customer said to me this week:

"It's been boring for years. Your service is exactly what I was looking for my love. Not only that, I'm bored. We are with each other day in day out for the past 70 years. We can't move round like we used to or drive or go out. Hardly anyone visits."

😍I came home feeling quite sad and then I cheered up saying to myself, "thank goodness our fabulous team help put something wonderful and meaningful back into others's lives".

❤️Something is certainly better than nothing at all! 🎶 ❤️

If you would like a friendly chat about our services, we would love to talk to you. There is no obligation.

Please either send a message by clicking the button at the top of this page

OR

Tel/text: 0787 404 2416

OR

Email: [email protected]

If you would like to read more about what we do and read some of the amazing feedback we get, please click:
www.lighteningtheload.org.uk

04/12/2024

❤️Myself and this lovely customer had such a fabulous session last night making mince pies whilst her husband went out for some time out for himself. They are both in their 90's. My customer has Alzheimer's.

She told me that she used to make mince pies every year and hasn't been able to for many many years! She told me she has really enjoyed doing other things with me over the past few months. She sits for long periods of time every day when we are not there.

When her husband got home, he was over the moon at having a fresh mince pie and told me the stories of how their son would steal the mince pies many years ago because he loved them fresh.

😍He said what a wonderful, unique service we provide ensuring that cognitive stimulation activities are an integral part of every session.

It is not just making mince pies - it's having a purpose, remembering old skills, using muscles and being mobile in ways that have sometimes become a thing of the past, it is about reminiscing at the same time, chatting, friendship, laughter and so much more. 🥰

❤️This is just one example of the many things we do.

01/12/2024

❤️We thought we would share with you just some of the wonderful things our fabulous customers have been doing with us in our sessions together to help fill their often long days alone over the past few weeks.

🥰The list of activities are endless! Our amazing team are fabulous at tapping into what our customers like or used to love, engaging and motivating and supporting them. This is an amazing skill amongst many that our team have.🥰

Over the past few weeks, we've been helping our customers prepare for Christmas amongst other things. We've made wreaths together, made Christmas cards, baked cupcakes cakes and mince pies.

With our customer's families' permission, we have provided dog therapy with both Fran and Carol's (from our team) dogs - two of our customers used to have dogs and they loved the visits with our beloved own fur balls! 🐶

😄We have had visits to cafes, played draughts, cards and dominoes, helped plan a customer's calendar with them, reminisced whilst looking at old photos, played and listened to music together, chatted about the jobs our customers used to do with them, chatted about past holidays our customers had, helped with light duties including putting shopping away, emptying the washing machine, being there for a nurse visit when family members couldn't be, helped prepare lunches and dinners and even supported one customer to make home made soup.

We have had lots of conversation and laughter too over the week with our customers. Plus so much more!

It is the tiny details that really count!🥰

❤️We have also had some more wonderful feedback about our unique and special tailor made service this week.

😍We also raised a small amount of money through the team and our families as a donation to the amazing Sapcote Memory Hub.

😄If you would like more information about how we may be able to help you and your loved ones, please feel free to message us, phone, text or email for a friendly, no obligation chat:

Tel/Text: 0787 404 2416

Message - please click the button at the top of this page

Email: [email protected]

You can find out more about us on our website. There are some wonderful testimonies on there about our fabulous team too:

www.lighteningtheload.org.uk

24/11/2024

Hello Everyone

❤️Our service is so important to help keep older people mentally and physically well. We support people to live their best possible lives so that they can remain as independent as possible in their own homes, for as long as possible!❤️

🥲Many families sadly leave it too late. Prevention is far better than reaching crisis point!

If you are looking for tailor made support for the older people in your lives, including couples and those with early to mid-stage dementias, we are a unique service with an excellent local reputation, that does exactly that! ☺️

😁We have a couple of sessions become available locally.

We receive amazing feedback about our wonderful service that fills that gap between someone not needing care and someone needing intense care.

We provide the bit in the middle!😁 Very few services do this. We provide continuity and build long term trust and friendships with our customers and their families.

For more information and testimonies about our service, why not take a look at our website:

www.lighteningtheload.org.uk

For an informal, friendly chat please Tel./Text: 0787 404 2416

Or please message using the Message icon at the top of this page or email:
[email protected]

19/11/2024

🥲This makes me feel so sad and it is one of the key reasons why we set up Lightening the Load almost 4 years ago.

There are too many people experiencing long, long, long days, nights, weeks, months alone!

Sometimes families pop in for quick visits because they understandably have busy lives. It's not really long enough when you are alone 24/7. I dread ever being in that situation and it could quite possibly come to all of us.

Loneliness seriously impacts everyone's mental and physical health. On top of that, people often are more isolated too due to having restricted mobility, no longer being able to drive, poor public transport links, fear of going out, friends having passsed away, lack of money and so many more reasons!

At Lightening the Load, we literally put the light ☀️ back into peoples' lives and often their families lives too! ❤️

For more information and a friendly, no obligation chat, please:

Message us above OR

Tel./Text: 0787 404 2416

Email: [email protected]

Website: www.lighteningtheload.org.uk