A care company in Portugal's southern coast has launched a community club aimed squarely at one of the less glamorous realities of the expat dream: loneliness. Algarve Care Services (ACS), a licensed and award-winning care agency, has started Good Companions, a programme of events, outings and activities designed to help isolated people make friends and feel part of something again.
The idea is deeply personal for ACS chief executive Kelly Dugmore. It takes its name from a club her late mother ran in the UK. Her mother, a nurse, started the original group after being widowed and living alone herself, and later developed dementia — an experience that shaped how Kelly now runs her business. That's why Good Companions will welcome not only people who are lonely or isolated, but also those living with dementia and the families supporting them, without defining anyone by a diagnosis.
The initiative is aimed at a group the Algarve knows well: people whose circumstances have shifted. Bereavement, retirement, a move to a new country — all common triggers for social isolation, and all familiar to the region's large British and northern European expat community. The programme's pitch is simple: sometimes what a person needs isn't another appointment or service, but a friend, a reason to leave the house, and somewhere they feel welcome.
For context, ACS provides home care, companionship, personal care, medication support, meal preparation, respite, overnight, live-in and holiday care, plus specialist dementia support, and is licensed with Portugal's Segurança Social. Good Companions extends that work beyond formal care into regular social life.
Want to meet the team? They'll be exhibiting at this year's AFPOP Expo in Portimão, where you can ask about companionship, dementia support and how to join the initiative. They've also opened new premises in the town centre of São Bartolomeu de Messines, where drop-in visitors are welcome. Contact details and Kelly's full story are at algarvecare.com, or call (+351) 927 688 677.
Why it matters for travellers and part-year residents: if you're considering a longer stay, retirement relocation or an extended winter in the Algarve, knowing that support networks like this exist — including dementia-aware social groups and English-friendly care providers — can make the difference between a posting that thrives and one that quietly stalls. It's also a useful lead for anyone whose older relatives are settling in the region.
