Mental health support in award contention
Nelson-based support group Supporting Families in Mental Illness (SF Nelson) has been nominated for the 2017 Trustpower Nelson-Tasman Community Awards under the Health and Wellbeing category.
SF Nelson offers information, support and advocacy to families and whanau who care for people who have, or may be developing a mental illness and/or addiction.
Formed in 1977 as the Schizophrenia Fellowship, the organisation offered support by families for families as a necessity in a time where there was very little support offered.
The organisation has expanded to support whanau who support someone with a mental illness such as bipolar disorder, depression, and other related psychiatric disorders.
The team of seven volunteers has members who have contributed ‘‘13 and 17 years of good effort,’’ SF Nelson’s secretary Martin Love said.
Families are helped through mental health services and supported to better understand what the needs of their loved ones are and have their questions answered.
Emotional support is offered to families during this often stressful and difficult time and includes peer support groups where families can connect with others who are experiencing a similar situation.
Their impact in the community has been acknowledged within the SF Nelson 2016 Client Survey, with anonymous participants feedback: ‘‘They provide such a great service in what is an extremely challenging time. I don’t think we would have been able to navigate through or cope without it.’’
SF Nelson lobbies for the best possible treatment, employment and accommodation for those with mental illnesses and raises awareness of the impact of stigma for those with an illness and their families and whanau
The non-profit organisation runs with community funding to employ a manager and administrator for 25 hours per week and also holds a contract from the health board to employ one fulltime and two part-time Family Whanau Support workers who are based in Nelson and Motueka.
Susan O’Connell, Manager of SF Nelson said, ‘‘The Trustpower awards are a wonderful opportunity for us to stop and recognise all the volunteer time and commitment that goes on behind the scenes to ensure that this free support service is available to families and whanau when they most need it.’’
The community awards will take place on the June 26th. If older age is requiring you to pop an increasing number of pills, don’t let it irritate you – just laugh.
It seems that laughter truly is, as Reader’s Digest has always maintained, the best medicine.
Apparently laughing triggers a number of positive physiological responses. It causes the entire body to relax, relieving muscle tension and stress.
Levels of cortisol, the stress hormone, drop and minimise pain and inflammation through the body.
Laughter releases endorphins, natural feel-good substances that generate the sensation of contentment. They have also been proven to reduce the perception of physical pain.
Laugh heartily and your blood pressure is reduced. Your heart rate also quickens and there is improved blood circulation and oxygen intake.
Even the immune system is stimulated as T-cells and salivary immunoglobulin A are released.
Researchers at the College of William and Mary in Virginia, United States, have detected that a ‘‘wave of electricity sweeps through’’ the entire cerebral cortex (the whole brain) just before we laugh. This supports the theory that humour can help to improve cognitive functioning by activating all parts of the brain simultaneously.
A study at Northwestern University in Illinois, United States, revealed that patients with advanced chronic obstructive pulmonary disease who were exposed to humorous videos enjoyed better mental health than study participants who viewed nonhumorous videos.
Another study, by Dr Jean-Paul Bell, of Australia’s Arts Health Institute, tracked the effects of live comedy on elderly nursing home patients with dementia/Alzheimer’s. Over a 12-week period, Bell and a troupe of clowns and comedians visited 36 long-term care homes in Sydney where they told jokes, played games and performed skits for the residents.
For the duration of the programme, staff in the nursing homes reported that participants were more positive and happier, while aggressive behaviour decreased for about 26 weeks after the programme closed.
So, if you are in your 60s or older, help yourself to a large serving of humour. The laughter it evokes will be doing your body a wealth of good – and that is no joke.