Crossroads Companions
Crossroads Companions – Making Life a Little Easier
At Crossroads Together, we understand that asking for help in the home can be a difficult decision. Asking family members for regular support may not be practical, however, you may not be at the stage where you require care in the home.
Crossroads Companions has been created to bridge the gap between struggling alone and arranging care in the home. You may simply need a little help with everyday tasks such as shopping, laundry, cooking, meal preparation, running errands and companionship. This service differs from care in the home as we don’t provide personal care or help with administering medication. This service is about giving you a little help to enable you to live as independently as possible in the comfort of your own home.
All of our Crossroads Companions have been DBS checked and have undertaken full training to ensure they can offer a tailored service to meet your needs.
Limited Offer: Buy One Get One Free
For a limited time only, we can offer a ‘buy one get one free’ visit to new clients. If your first visit is for two hours, you can have your second visit of two hours free. We will offer up to two free support visits per client. Further details in ‘Frequently Asked Questions’ section further down the page.
The service is currently available across Bury and Salford in Greater Manchester.
Ways we can help
Help we can provide inside the home:
- Support with light cleaning
- Help with laundry/changing bedding
- Support with decluttering
- Meal preparation/arranging meal delivery
- Help with online ordering e.g. shopping/prescriptions
- Companionship
- Support with connecting you to others in the community
- Facilitating ways to connect with your friends/family
Ways we can help
Help we can provide outside the home:
- Picking up shopping
- Collecting prescriptions
- Posting letters/parcels
- Taking items to the charity shop
- Attending appointments
- Short trips to local park/garden centre
This list is not exhaustive, we are happy to discuss other tasks you require help with.
How it works
We can provide support between 9am-3:30pm Monday to Friday.
We can help you in as many or as few ways as you like.
You can make a list in order of priority and we will get as much done as we can in the time given.
Or the visit can be more relaxed, we can start with a cuppa and a chat and go from there.
Once you are registered with Crossroads Companions, just let us know in advance how may hours of support you require each week.
We will set up a payment method with our finance team, so there’s no need to pay your Crossroads Companion directly.
See below for further frequently asked questions.
To find out more call 0161 445 9595 or register your interest using this form and we will contact you.
Please only complete this form if the person needing support lives in Bury or Salford.
Frequently Asked Questions
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Is there a minimum/maximum number or hours I need to book?
This depends on how much support you require from your companion however we recommend two hours per visit as a guide.
If you simply want a cuppa and a chat along with a few simple tasks, two hours a day, a few times a week may be ideal.
If you require more practical support with shopping and laundry for example, you will need to book blocks of between 2-5 hours at a time depending on how much help you require.
We can advise on length of visit when we discuss your needs.
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How does the Buy One Get One Free offer work?
To promote this service, and for a limited time only, we will offer a ‘buy one get one free’ visit. If your first visit is for two hours, you can have your second visit of two hours free (although you will pay for any mileage for shopping and trips out for all support visits). We will offer up to two free support visits per client.
For example if you first call is three hours long, then the second free call will also be three hours long. If you buy a third visit of two hours, the fourth visit will be free and will be for two hours.
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Will I get the same companion each time?
We will do our very best to try and match you with your preferred companion, however this will not always be practical.
We will certainly limit the number of companions to the same few so you will be familiar with them and they will get to know how you like things done.
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What happens when I need my companion to purchase something for me?
Companions can purchase items for you. Please ensure that you have cash available and they will provide you with your change and a receipt.
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What person protective equipment (PPE) will my companion be wearing?
During the Covid-19 pandemic, Crossroads Together staff follow the government guidance for working safely in domiciliary care and will wear a fluid repellent surgical mask.
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What if I need my companion to drive me somewhere?
We will provide you with contact details for one of our coordinators, you can contact them if you need to be driven somewhere. Where possible we will provide a companion who can drive. Any mileage costs for travel will be charged at 45 pence per mile and will be added to your invoice in addition to the hourly rate.
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What if my needs change?
You can contact the coordinator. We are happy to discuss changing needs and how we can support you.
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What if I require the service outside of these hours?
Our core hours for Crossroads Companions are 9am-3.30pm Monday to Friday.
We can arrange companionship outside of these off peak hours, however, they will be charged at a slightly higher rate, please discuss these options when you enquire.
Please call 0161 445 9595 to discuss your options.
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What if I require a combination of support with personal care and companionship?
Please call 0161 445 9595 to discuss these options – personal care is charged at a higher rate than companionship and there are different rates depending on the time/days required. You will be guided through the options available when you call to enquire.
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What if I already use your services for personal care how do I go about utilising the Crossroads Companion service?
Please ring the coordinator on 0161 445 9595 who can discussion the options and assist you to access this service.
Contact Us
We currently offer this service across Bury and Salford in Greater Manchester.
To find out more or to arrange a companion visit, call 0161 445 9595