North west professionals promote mental health and well-being
ERoSH member ‘Johnnie' Johnson Housing held an event to promote the importance of maintaining well-being and independence amongst older people with mental health.
After identifying a gap in the training of frontline staff in mental health and wellbeing issues ERoSH launched a campaign last year to encourage members to hold regional events promoting positive aspects of sheltered and retirement housing and the associated support services delivered to people living in the community.
The one day event was held at ‘Johnnie' Johnson's retirement scheme Portland House, Marple, Cheshire, in April.
The free event was attended by over 30 professionals from various housing organisations and local authorities, including "Johnnie" Johnson Housing Trust, Contour, Stockport & Bolton MBC, and New Charter, as well as Tameside Supporting People.
Attendees looked at two main topics, ‘Health and Well-being in Older People' delivered by Helen Hawley a public health specialist in older people, and ‘Making sense of Mental Health Legislation' by Gail Bouskill, Policy and Performance Manager at 'Johnnie' Johnson Housing. There were also a series of workshops.
Paul Moore, Scheme Manager said: "I thoroughly enjoyed the day. The range of topics was excellent and really relevant. I know I will be able to transfer the information to my role as a Scheme Manager."
Tricia Grierson ‘Johnnie' Johnson‘s Head of Retirement and Supported Housing said: "We were delighted with the interest in the event and the enthusiasm shown in the workshops.
"We hope the delegates found the information sharing session very useful and we would be delighted to run further sessions in conjunction with ERoSH in the future."
Key messages and learning points from the event included:
• See the individual not the illness
• Talk to the individual and focus on what they can do rather than what they can't
• Understand the limitations of your role as scheme manager but find creative ways of helping. E.g. If you can't administrator medication but can use morning calls to remind the tenant to have it
• Appreciating the intolerance amongst a number of older people towards tenants demonstrating signs of dementia, especially it they are new to a scheme. You could consider awareness days to help improve tolerance
• Understanding that depression and social isolation can be common amongst older people. It is important to promote opportunities for physical activity and social interaction as depression and social isolation can get worse with age.
• There is a tendency for older people to drink more. They may not be aware that there is more alcohol in many drinks now than in the past. Even though this may not seem appropriate you can encourage tenants to drink in communal areas, which may be better than drinking alone in their flat
• The need for bereavement counselling is often not recognised or available for older people. It is naturally one of the main reasons for depression but there is often an assumption that older people are expected to die and therefore it is easier for partners and friends to deal with it.
Other similar events are being organised in other parts of the UK email us for more details or if you are interested in holding an event.
