Shared Lives Week 2025

Age NI is delighted to be highlighting our Shared Lives service this week for Shared Lives Week 2025.

Since launching in 2023 the Age NI Shared Lives service has grown, with 18 carers now approved, and 14 older people are benefiting from the friendship, connection and support it provides, helping them to stay well and independent.

Derek and Leonard have have been matched through Shared Lives for nearly a year now, and the pair stay busy with walks in the park, trips to the shop, and endless hours chatting about Leonard’s past as a poet and their shared love of Spain.

Leonard feels he formed a fast friendship with Derek, and the two of them have fallen into a familiar routine. “Derek and I bonded immediately over shared interests, like how I used to live in Seville and he visits there often. There’s a lot I can’t do on my own anymore, and my daughter can’t be here all the time, so having Derek to help me with shopping and with tasks around the house as well as just getting out and about has been essential. He’s made all the difference.”

Derek’s wife had come across Shared Lives on the Age NI website, and thought he would be a good fit for the carer role. “It’s made such a difference in my life. It’s changed me, it’s changed my family, and it’s just so rewarding. I love spending time with Leonard, we can talk about anything from football to food to poetry.

The Age NI staff have just been amazing, with their support I feel like we’re really changing people’s lives.”

Leonard’s daughter Maeve has also seen the benefits of Shared Lives for her dad and their family. “When I first heard about Shared Lives I thought this was going to be perfect for dad, and as soon as I spoke to Alison and the Shared Lives team I knew he would thrive. It’s a way for him to get out and about and have some freedom. The difference has been amazing, he had no interest in leaving the house before and now he’s going to group activities, and to coffee shops and out for lunch.

For dad it’s meant independence, and for me it’s meant freedom from anxiety. Derek has that relationship with dad where they can go out and I don’t have to worry about anything. Now I know I can go to work and be able to provide for my family, and it’s also meant that I can have counselling after my mom’s death. I didn’t have the time to do that before, but Shared Lives has been such a holistic service that I can do these things confidently.”

Laura McGarrity, social worker in the South Eastern Health and Social Care Trust, has three clients involved with Shared Lives. “By matching individuals with trained and compassionate befrienders who open their homes or offer companionship through regular visits, the service enhances the quality of life for my clients in a way that compliments formal care plans.

For my clients, the service has offered meaningful social connections, emotional support and a greater sense of belonging reducing isolation and boosting their confidence. Many clients who previously struggled with loneliness or limited social opportunities have formed lasting, trusting relationships with their befrienders. This support has often led to improved mental well-being and a greater willingness to engage in the wider community.

Shared Lives has also provided much needed reassurance and respite for families and carers. Knowing their loved one is supported by someone reliable and understanding helps reduce pressure on families and strengthens the overall support network around the individual. The service has empowered clients offering them choice and control over how they receive support. Unlike more traditional services, Shared Lives puts the individual at the centre of decision-making, helping them build independence at their own pace.

Overall, Shared Lives has made a profound difference to my clients, promoting inclusion, fostering independence and enhancing wellbeing.”