Through July Good Care Month is aimed at those who work tirelessly as paid or unpaid carers. Celebrating and promoting the great work that they do. To engage and inspire others to enter the profession and continue the great work already being done in all types of settings, groups of people and with a full range of LTHCs, disabilities and age-related deterioration in health. With the impact of the COVID pandemic and the increase in life expectancies, there is more pressure than ever on carers in both paid and unpaid care-related roles.*
Part One - Good Care Month
We focused on what the month is all about and celebrating the carers who make life so much more for-filling and meaningful. Looking at;
Types Of Carers
Being/Becoming A Carer
Being Cared For & The Need For Emotional Support
Emotional Support For Carers
You can read it here.
Part Two - A focus on the Emotional Support Options for Carers and those being cared for.
Looking at the emotional support for carers and those being cared for with particular attention to the additional effects of the pandemic. With support from Mental Health Charity mind, patient blogs and agency interventions.
Part Three - Self-Care Mechanisms
What is self-care?
Why is it important?
How can we incorporate this into our everyday lives?
Care comes in many forms. Everyone is well aware (or at least should be) of the basic care system and would easily state that family, friends, care home workers etc are the heart of the care network. That may be true but there are also specialised carers/coordinators within specific medical intervention areas such as special needs, autism and mental health. With the pandemic in full swing pressure on both carers and those being cared for has increased significantly.
Imagine shielding for the best part of two years. Imagine having to constantly put yourself and others at risk by going to people's, homes and mixing with those who are the most vulnerable. That comes with some significant impact and affects families in many ways. For a family carer of a shielding patient, their worlds were turned upside down. Mental health is a key component in their lives anyway but to then be expected to transition back into the ‘normal’ is going to take time to overcome. Added to the fact that some who had no care needs before lockdown, both carers and the cared for having acquired mental health conditions as a result of what has happened or worsening of conditions that they could previously manage on their own.
Mental Health Support
Emotional support has never been in greater need than it is now for many people with LTHCs and disabilities. Although the two-year marker since lockdown began has passed and life is returning to normal for some, many hearts and souls are still weighed down with feelings of concern, anxiety, grief and isolation. The health charity mind acknowledges this and has produced a support package to aid and support the transition from COVID to Real Life. It shows these areas;
Coronavirus and your wellbeing
Mask anxiety, face coverings and mental health
Difficult feelings about coronavirus pandemic
Young people and coronavirus
Coping with mental health problems through coronavirus
Accessing treatment and support for mental health during coronavirus
Student mental health through coronavirus
Coping with going to work through coronavirus
Supporting your teen's wellbeing during coronavirus
Coronavirus and work
Coronavirus useful contacts
Bereavement and grief
Anxiety and panic attacks
Loneliness
Trauma
Each section looks at definitions, causes, symptoms, tips to support you and useful contacts.
Through the loneliness section they also highlight that;
'While there is no legal solution to loneliness, there may be ways in which the law can help you if you have needs for care and support. The Care Act 2014 in England and the Social Services and Well-being (Wales) Act 2014 in Wales place general obligations on local authorities to promote wellbeing and to prevent social care needs from arising. They also contain specific duties for local authorities to help individuals. See our pages on health and social care rights for more information. You can also contact Mind's Legal Line with your specific enquiry’.(https://www.mind.org.uk/information-support/tips-for-everyday-living/loneliness/tips-to-manage-loneliness/)
Loneliness can be a vicious circle, with mental health conditions leading to loneliness and loneliness leading to mental health problems. Never has this been felt more than through the pandemic and why Loneliness was the focus of last month's Mental Health Week. Increasing the demand placed on already stretched mental health care support teams and sending more requiring carer intervention.
Losing Friends After Chronic Illness by Evelyn Donato explores the stresses and strains associated with Chronic Illness and friendship, support and loneliness. Further highlights the importance of emotional support required by the care system.
Support from other angles is also available. The Red Cross and The English Football League have sparked up a relationship heading into the new season to build on the work done previously with Mind around mental health promotion through sport. Unveiled at the EFL awards the programme reports that;
‘Chronic loneliness can have a serious impact on well-being and currently, the British Red Cross works with over 100,000 people experiencing loneliness per year through dedicated services across the UK. This ranges from helping isolated elderly people to supporting refugees who arrive with nothing’ (https://www.itfc.co.uk/news/2022/april/british-red-cross-new-charity-partner-efl/)
They continue with;
‘Meanwhile, the EFL and its network of clubs supported tens of thousands of people during the pandemic who were experiencing loneliness with an award-winning Tackling Loneliness Together programme and innovative Extra Time Hubs. By pooling resources through this partnership, the aim will be to offer more support to those in need using the popularity of the national game and the power of club badges to bring people closer together. (https://www.itfc.co.uk/news/2022/april/british-red-cross-new-charity-partner-efl/)
For those of us living with mental illness or other LTHCs and disabilities, spotting signs of stress early and putting steps in place to cope with it can be crucial when managing our condition. Re-think has produced this Coping With Stress package to help which looks at the following;
Recognising that most people feel stressed sometimes.
Some stress can beef help but too much will make you ill.
Stress affects everyone differently
Stress is not an illness on its own, however, it may make you unwell if it is very bad or if it lasts a long time.
Stress is hard to avoid but there are things you can do to manage it.
There are some helpful resources which you can download. Whatever you feel is real, it’s not wrong and there is no magic answer to get to where you want to be. For many we now battle to remember what normal was like and in truth will we ever be where we were before? That’s not easy to comprehend or strive for. Just know there is someone there, hopefully, a route to improvement. Time will tell but all we can say is that help is on its way.
*As you read our blogs please remember that we are all on the same pathways as you. Sometimes we find what we convey helpful but at other times we don’t. However, we include it because everyone's journey is different and we like to have this passionate perseverance to help others as much as possible. To dispose of it all would be a waste and a disservice to our readers.
Re-Think - Coping With Stress
Mind Charity - COVID To Real Life
The Mighty - Losing Friends After Chronic Illness