Stirling mental health charities have detailed how they have been supporting people dealing with loneliness and isolation since the coronavirus pandemic took hold a year ago.
Action in Mind is a mental health charity that was set up more than 30 years ago and is based in Riverside. Town Break supports local people with dementia to stay connected with their communities and the world around them.
Both groups have detailed the challenges faced in the previous 12 months.
Katie Heslop, from Action in Mind, says that a large number of the people referred to them mention the pandemic and the implications that this has had on isolation and mental health.
As the one year anniversary of the initial Covid-19 lockdown passed this week, thoughts turned to those who have lost their lives and those whose health has taken a hit – including those struggling with their mental health.
Katie said: “Clearly mental health has been frequently spoken about over the past 12 months which we think reflects the impact that Covid has had on our mental wellbeing. A large proportion of the referrals we are receiving make reference to the pandemic and the implications that this has had on isolation and mental health.
“However, there has also been an impact on our current service users who are experiencing increased isolation and a reduction in good mental health. I have found that the ‘stay at home’ guidance has reinforced a number of anxieties our client base have about leaving the house, so supporting clients to build their confidence in being able to leave the house safely has been a main focus of my involvement over the past year.
“Home schooling is also an important factor to note as a number of our service users have been home schooling which has added additional challenges during a time where the delivery of their mental health support has had to change due to government guidelines.
“Throughout the pandemic we have continued to support our clients and have adjusted in line with guidance from the Scottish Government. We have been pleased to see that the Scottish Government have made additional funding available to support mental health services during this time.”
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She added: “While we all wish that the last year hadn’t happened, I’m hopeful that the increased awareness and experience of social isolation by almost everyone over the past 12 months has shed some light on the experiences of the clients we support and will go some way to reducing mental health stigma.”
The impact of lockdown on loneliness has also been felt by local charity Town Break.
The charity has been forced to halt its usual face-to-face sessions for much of the pandemic, but have still been busy reaching as many people as possible via regular telephone chats, doorstep activity packs and virtual one-to-one meetings.
Town Break’s chief officer Gail Barton told the Observer: “Loneliness always has been and always will be an issue because there are a lot of isolated people out there.
“As an example, we had one gentleman who has such bad short-term memory that he doesn’t remember that we are phoning him three times a day and that he has people coming in to see him.
“He seems so fed up so we have to think of everything to try and cheer him up and have a bit of a laugh with him.
“Covid has made that loneliness and isolation that was already there so much more pronounced and we’ve had to keep a special eye on those people that maybe don’t have a neighbour or a doctor to check on them.
“The whole of society is going to have to think about how to help families ensure there isn’t this level of isolation and we’ll certainly do our bit to help out and reach out with that.”
Gail also admitted the pandemic had been an especially difficult one for the charity and would lead to Town Break’s team of volunteers considering how to best adjust their services in a post-Covid world.
She added: “Town Break has really changed beyond recognition and the services that we offer have changed since a year ago.
“We’re trying to map what people want and whether they feel safe doing certain things, so that might mean more smaller sessions and trying to think more outside the box about what we can do.
“This has been the toughest challenge the charity has faced in 30 years and it’s a challenge when the number of people diagnosed increases every year but the money doesn’t increase with it.
“It has had positives and negatives in that it has meant the whole sector has worked together closer than ever but it has had a real impact on home/life balance for many of the staff and volunteers.
“I think we’re hopefully through the worst of it now so it’s about continuing to do what we can and support those who need us.”
