Recently, Five Good Friends CEO Simon Lockyer had the opportunity to chat with John Deeks from the YourLifeChoices Podcast about one of the critical elements that makes Five Good Friends so different to other home care providers - our matching.

YourLifeChoices focuses on giving their members the up to date information and showcasing the best possible people and organisations who can help navigate midlife and the retirement.

And with more than 260,000 members, and growing, it was wonderful to talk to John about Five Good Friends and share why are so passionate about what we do and how we do it.

We are a new and modern home care providers, providing support to our ageing loved ones and also our disabled loved ones, so they can continue to live the lives they love. Connected to the homes and the communities and the families and friends that they love. A really key aspect is on matching our members to the right care team and helpers.

Matching is at the core of everything we do. We take the time to understand our Members needs and preferences and match them with Helpers they will connect with. Our members want to have control and connection with the people they are letting into their homes. It is important to us that they feel comfortable with their team.

The chat also covers how the name of Five Good Friends came about and the two very important studies that led us to realise that friendship is the key to a long and happy life.

We started by asking a really different question, why did people live wonderfully long engaged and happy lives in the homes and communities that they love?

These are the questions that first led us on our journey to find two inspirational studies, The Blue Zones by Dan Beuttner with the help of the National Geographic, and The Study of Adult Development by researchers at Harvard (discussed in the blog).

What they pointed to is the key determinant to along happy and healthy life is actually friendship or the number of friends that we have around us.

And the influence of those people, the stress shedding power of friendship which add years to life, and life for years. Robert Waldinger, who is the curator of the Harvard Study, said it seems that friendship protects us from the slings and arrows of life and growing old.

The conversation goes on to talk about our partnership with APIA, with our At Hands program, our ambassador Ita Buttrose and the resources we provide to help families and loved ones navigate growing older well.

To listen to the full interview, go to https://www.yourlifechoices.com.au/insights/podcast/why-you-need-five-good-friends-in-your-life/