Mental health: help is at hand around Arran
In a follow up to last week’s story on mental health being the largest concern in a community survey, Arran Community and Voluntary Service (Arran CVS) has compiled a repository of services, assistance and guidance on the work around mental health and social isolation that is available to Arran residents.
Early on in the pandemic Arran CVS pulled together a trifold leaflet with useful numbers and information, which provides details on local and national support.
It also set up a telephone support service called Keep Arran Talking (KAT) and has trained volunteers, fully armed with all of the information they need to support someone, and it has matched others with individuals who have accessed or requested the service.
Calls are available to anyone on Arran who may feel isolated, unconnected, lonely or just want to talk to someone locally. The volunteers arrange a suitable time to make regular calls with the service user for a catch-up and informal chat.
Further island telephone support was set up by Heather Lodge in association with the Mary Davies Trust, with the support from Foundation Scotland.
Called the Arran Ear, this service is intended as a low-level brief intervention for islanders experiencing anxiety and fear during the Covid-19 pandemic.
The line is staffed by six trained listeners, all of whom undertake regular continuing professional development (CPD) and have tried and tested methods to support anxious clients.
Arran CVS also launched the Connecting Arran Digital Project, run in conjunction with the national Connecting Scotland campaign.
The project has been set up to support those who are socially isolated and do not have digital access or the knowledge to use the technology.
It has now issued 16 iPads with MiFi internet and has matched up Digital Buddy volunteers with iPad recipients.
The two established lunch clubs in Lamlash and Brodick were halted due to Covid as communal areas have been closed within the sheltered housing complexes.
But organisers have been in regular contact with lunch club attendees and volunteers to check in and ensure that they have someone to raise any concerns with.
The existing Befriending Arran project has moved from face to face contact to telephone and video contact. Again, Arran CVS staff have kept in regular contact with volunteer befrienders and befriendees.
Further to the projects and support that have recently been set up, there is also the Community Link Worker Service.
Lorraine Hewie is the community link worker on Arran and she also works for Arran CVS. She provides support under the third sector interface umbrella, covering the Arran locality for community support and providing link working patient support within Arran Medical Group surgeries.
Her role is as a non-clinical social practitioner, who provides support for issues that go beyond the scope of medical treatment.
As such, she can provide support for individuals around a range of social points that affect health and wellbeing, which include money worries, debt, unemployment, social isolation, bereavement support, alcohol and drug use and managing stress and living a healthier lifestyle.
The support centres on the self-management of low mood and anxiety and assists individuals over time to access the resources needed to keep them well.
This support is provided on a one-to-one basis for individuals via face-to-face consultations, telephone or video appointments using Attend Anywhere.
As part of her role, Lorraine also runs a Mental Health Improvement and Awareness workshop, alongside her colleague and counterpart, Michelle Trainer, who covers Largs and Millport and North Coast areas.
Lorraine and Michelle have been delivering the Mental Health Improvement workshops since June to various community and voluntary
groups and organisations across North Ayrshire and
Arran.
It is a two-hour session over Zoom; part one is about mental health and well-being, part two is about how and where to get help if anyone is struggling with their mental health and well-being.
Once the workshop has been completed, participants receive the Powerpoint workshop presentation, supporting documents and worksheets, and an information pack of support in local and surrounding areas as well as websites and telephone numbers which provide support locally and nationally.
The workshop is open to anyone on Arran who wants to improve things for their members, teams or themselves in supporting and improving mental health. There are many other organisations around the island keeping up those morale boosting discussions with members, such as U3A, Arran Community Land Initiative and the Healthy Outdoors Team (HOT).
All of them help to tackle social isolation, loneliness and support mental health and wellbeing.