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Supporting vulnerable adults during social distancing Credits: Social Media
By Amanda Nicholls

Supporting vulnerable adults during social distancing

By Amanda Nicholls

Do you have a friend, family member or community connection living with dementia, mental health issues or autism? Dr Claire Mould, chief executive of Bristol-based charity Cintre, offers tips to help them through lock-down.

Were all having to adapt how we�live and work  but the transition has been harder for some.

Bristol-based charity Cintre works with�vulnerable adults who have complex mental health needs. Cintre helps them to live�more independent and fulfilled lives through its residential homes, social groups and one-to-one support.

Support

The charity had to react quickly to social distancing and lock-down rules so it could support its community users on a one-to-one�basis in a way other than face-to-face meetings.

Users typically have autism, OCD or other physical or mental health issues and its critical to continue to support them during the social distancing phase and support their families and other contacts who can also help them to avoid isolation.

Cintres residential homes are grappling with challenges common to all care homes, with the added complexity that users dont always understand the reasoning behind social distancing or its rules.

Residents are unable to enjoy the usual benefits that come with visits by entertainers and hairdressers so Cintre has been screening films and has set up a mobile hairdressing salon manned by staff.

Work is also under way to create a pond and to plant vegetables in the garden. Further plans for VE Day in May include a special picnic lunch, a movie, and a dig into the archives for photographs of residents from the era.�

Meanwhile the residential home for high-dependency older residents and people with dementia in Weston-super-Mare has a popular closed Facebook group for families and friends, where photos and videos can be shared.

Lock-down tips

If you have a friend, family or community member who suffers from dementia, mental health concerns, autism or other non-visible illnesses, you could find the tips below useful.

Contact  regular contact and sticking to a routine helps mark the passage of time and reduces stress. Try to stick to the same day of the week and start-time as you used in the past and swap to a voice call or video chat.

Imagination  feeding the mind and imagination with positivity can help to alleviate boredom, social isolation and anxiety. There are some fantastic online games, while you could share drawings during a video call or chat about gardening or cooking.

Normality  keeping activities as close to normal helps reduce fear and uncertainty. One of Cintres staff shares her daily walk with service users through a video chat to reinforce the feeling of normality.�

Talking  while smart phones and computers allow you to text or email, talking on the phone or through a video call lets you get a sense of how people are feeling much more than the written word. Setting a time can ensure youre both undisturbed and can focus on the nuances of the voice as well as the words themselves.�

Recipes  theres increasing evidence our gut has a direct impact on our mood. Eating the right food reduces stress and strengthens the immune system. Sharing recipes via email, online video or by phone or letter and then sharing how the cooking went on the next call helps to set a goal with (hopefully) delicious results.

Energy  exercise has a powerful effect on the mind. There are many wonderful options for online exercise videos, from a yoga livestream to PE workout. Many are free, making them accessible to all.