Healthwatch Darlington's Health Connector Volunteer Special Covid-19 Blog
Our volunteer Health Connectors and Youthwatch Darlington volunteers continue to volunteer from home, offering support with administrative tasks, sharing information and supporting social media. Not only this, but some of our volunteers have been using their knowledge and passion to help us share information with people living in Darlington.
A fantastic example; one of our volunteers have been keeping an eye on domestic abuse and what this means for women and children in isolation.
I’ve been reading about and looking into the rise in reported incidences of domestic violence during this time of isolation and crisis. Refuge have a ‘Covid-19’ appeal going on right now and I would like to bring this to people’s attention
Staying at home:
Our volunteers share their own tips for ‘staying at home’ during the pandemic.
- “Develop a routine and have structure, particularly is you have children at home.”
- “Keep active and do exercise where possible, and get your children involved.”
- “Get grandparents involved, by using Face Time, for bedroom stories.”
- “Plan food and make more meals from scratch.”
- “Still make sure you get plenty of sleep and think about opportunities to get outside for fresh air.”
- “Be kind and patient with each other.”
- “Cut down your social media usage, because this can be draining to your own mental wellbeing.”
- “Look into mindfulness this can help with anxiety.”
- “Listen to music and enjoy watching films, these can boost your mood.”
How you can help people you know and self-care tips:
Some of our volunteers have shared their own thoughts on how they are helping people the know.
- “Keep in contact with family and friends, via the phone, regularly check on them.”
- “Share information with them, Public Health share lots of information. There is helpful information about ‘Mental Health & Wellbeing’.”
Some of our volunteers shared more self-care tips for helping you during the pandemic.
- “Some of the most amazing self-care foods include fatty fish, blueberries, nuts, green leafy veggies, and brassicas, like broccoli.”
- “It's especially important to stay away from caffeine and sugar before sleep.”
- “Daily exercise can help you both physically and mentally, boosting your mood and reducing stress and anxiety.”
- “Look our for early warning signs of depression and seek help when you need it. You can find out more by visiting the Governments website.”
Volunteering from home:
Some of our volunteers share their own thoughts on volunteering from home and what you can do to help during the pandemic.
- “Get involved and offer help from home, if this is possible.”
- “Share information with people you know, on behalf of the organisation you volunteer for.”
- “Support the organisations social media pages, by liking and sharing posts.”
- “Stay in touch and share ideas.”
- If its safe, and your able to offer further support to your community. You could help walk a dog, pick up shopping, or call someone who is lonely.
A final message from our volunteers:
“Stay strong, be kind to yourself and remember this time will be over soon.”
Volunteering for Healthwatch Darlington remotely is very different for everyone at the moment, but we couldn’t be more grateful for their continued support and effort to help people living in Darlington. Thank you to all of our volunteers.
