Morven Day Services: All in this together

Peer support is invaluable in destigmatising mental health issues and helps those with lived experience of mental health challenges, to see it as part of their own and other peoples’ recovery. Though this period of lockdown, staff at our Morven Day Services have been encouraging peer support networking, linking people who used to meet face to face to be able to chat over the phone.

On her way home from an initial visit to the service one lady met another service user and chatted as they went to the bus stop. Unfortunately, the onset of lockdown meant that the lady never got back to the service and, after phone calls from staff, it became evident that her only social contact was carers. Having remembered the lady she had met at the bus stop staff were able to get permissions for numbers to be shared and now the two ladies chat regularly, offering each other valuable support, and are looking forward to meeting up again when able. And of course, we don’t live our lives to service hours and so the two ladies chat whenever suits them!

Members of the knitting group have also proved to be invaluable to one another – a chance phone call about exchanging a pattern led to consolation and support over a painful family bereavement. The phone call had lifted the lady from what she felt had been a ‘dwam’ (haze) and helped her to get involved with knitting mask extenders for the local hospital. Her neighbour, a nurse, pops in to collect them and it’s been a great way of ‘feeling useful’ through this time of crisis.

Of course, keeping in touch can be just for fun; for Solitaire challenges, for chatting and swapping jokes and exercise tips….. or to just have someone ‘there’. #WeAreAllInThisTogether!

For resources on mental health support during this time: Mental Health Awareness