Welcome to Above & beyond
Above & Beyond Companions serve as friends, trusted confidants, and passionate advocates, empowering their clients to engage fully in life and society to whatever extent they desire.
Our commitment to providing compassionate support, and creating a nurturing environment sets us apart as a trusted choice for families seeking the best for their loved ones.
how we started
I’m Keris, founder of Above & Beyond (Companionship and Support).
I have over 30 years’ experience working with vulnerable people and started providing help and support to adults of all ages. It wasn’t long before I was turning people away as I didn’t have the availability to help them.
I love what I do and I really wanted to help more people, so I decided to create a team of like-minded Companions.
From personal observations and feedback my priority was that our clients would have their own Companions. I think it is important for relationships to build and for the Companion to feel like a trusted friend and not a ‘carer’. All our Companions are police checked and insured. They are also interviewed by me personally to ensure that I believe that they can provide the level of service to my high standards.
I am still very much hands on, I have my own clients and I catch up with all our clients on a regular basis to ensure they are happy and discuss any changes they may wish to make.
Keris is absolutely wonderful. Sh e has been such a godsend in helping support my 85 year old mum over the last year.
Initially she helped with some cleaning and then became a packing buddy for mum as she prepared for her house move after 54 years. She was such an emotional support to both me and mum during this time and she is like a member of the family to us. So kind, caring and patient. Now mum is settled in her new bungalow, Keris visits her once a week for “girls days out” from clothes shopping to a cuppa tea at the garden centre.
Mum l ooks forward to her visits so much and sees her as a friend. She has also been amazing when I haven’t been able to take mum to hospital appointments and done it for me, despite having to alter her own diary around to help.
Nothing is too much trouble for her and we are both so very, very grateful. Thank you Keris we couldn’t recommend you enough.
how we work
We start with arranging a visit or call to discuss your needs, or that of a loved one. We will match you with a helper that can provide the help you need and when you want it. We will ensure that you are happy with your helper after their first visit and contact or visit you monthly after that to make sure you are still satisfied and discuss any changes you may want.
We understand that we are all human and some personalities may clash, if for any reason you do not want to continue with your helper we can find you another one.
You will be assigned the same helper every visit to ensure that you have continuity and are able to build friendship and trust. If you need more frequent visits we may need to assign you more than one helper, but you will always know who is coming.
You will be invoiced monthly for the visits we have made. Mileage is not included in the hourly rate, we will discuss this further with you during our first meeting. We will pay your helper directly.
All our helpers have been fully vetted, are DBS checked and insured.
Helpers are not Carers, they do not provide personal or medical care.
Would you like to join our Team?
We are looking for self-employed Companions to join us.
You must have a DBS certificate and insurance (we can advise if required).
Experience preferred, however not essential. Must have a genuine passion for helping people.
We support clients in Poole, Bournemouth, Ferndown, Wimborne, Blandford and surrounding areas. Please contact us for more information.