Welcome
Sid Valley Help is a local charity that
provides information on health and
social care support services in the
Sid Valley - see the Information page
or contact us. During the coronavirus
outbreak we are working with
Sidmouth Town Council and other
local organisations to provide
information and operate a Community
Volunteer scheme. If you need help,
for example for shopping or collecting
a prescription, or you want to
volunteer please contact us.
Phone: 01395 892 011
text: 07378 964521
COMMUNITY VOLUNTEER SCHEME - UPDATE 5 July 2020
Many of our wonderful volunteers are now returning to work however we are confident that we have enough volunteers to meet demand at the present time. While the number of our volunteers has decreased, so have the number of new requests and some clients who requested support are now feeling confident enough to collect their own medication or shopping.
From mid-March to the end of last week we had received and met 540 new requests for support. Many of these are for repeating tasks such as weekly shopping or prescription collection.
There are still many people who are ‘shielding’ and although restrictions are easing many are nervous about becoming independent again while others are too unwell to do so. NHS guidance for those shielding from 6 July can be found here: www.nhs.uk/conditions/coronavirus-covid-19/people-at-higher-risk/advice-for-people-at-high-risk
We understand that the local shops that have been providing a delivery service will continue to do so for now; they are listed on our website. And we have been told that anyone who is registered in the shielded group should be able to request delivery of their medication from their pharmacy. If there is a problem with this, please let us know.
A benefit of lockdown easing is that people we support may be seeing more of their families, especially if they lived far away. Hopefully this means that fewer people are feeling the pressure of being at home and isolated. However as time passes some people may be feeling lonely and missing social contact. If you know of someone in this situation ask them if they would like one of our telephone friends to call regularly. Let us know or encourage them to call us on 01395 892011.
PSYCHOLOGICAL FIRST AID FOR COVID-19 17 June 2020
Public Health England has produced a free short online course for psychological first aid (PFA) training to help people with different needs to cope with the emotional impact of COVID-19. It takes an hour a week for three weeks and is available at the FutureLearn website HERE.
FutureLearn also have a course on helping Young People manage low mood and depression in the context of Covid-19 that takes two hours a week over two weeks. It is HERE.
TALKWORKS 13 June 2020
TALKWORKS is a free, confidential, NHS talking therapy service helping you to feel better by giving you the tools and techniques to improve your mental and physical wellbeing.
You can self-refer direct to TALKWORKS (if 18 or over) by calling 0300 555 3344 or through the website which has more information www.TALKWORKS.dpt.nhs.uk.
Watch our film to see how TALKWORKS can help you. https://youtu.be/Ek5j1zdzqFw
or download a TALKWORKS leaflet HERE
Telephone Shopping and Home Delivery leaflet 10 May 2020
The leaflet has been produced by Sid Valley Help for residents who cannot shop online.
It lists local shops and businesses who have told us they are willing to accept orders by telephone and to arrange delivery. It can be downloaded HERE. To request a printed copy to be posted to you please phone or email and tell us your name and address. Note that many local shops and businesses have closed temporarily at present.
Looking after your mental health
Having good mental health helps us relax more, achieve more and enjoy our lives more. The NHS website Every Mind Matters has expert advice and practical tips to help you look after your mental health and wellbeing.
Children and young people with mental health issues are being supported by the Sidmouth school and college pastoral care teams. Parents, children and students who feel they need support or advice can contact either Tracey Tipton on 07540 668 525 (primary age) or Carole Clark 07495 540 415 (college age - see resources at www.sidmouthcollege.devon.sch.uk/coronavirus-covid-19.html)
Young Devon (www.youngdevon.org 08082 810155) has produced a good wellbeing toolkit with tips, tricks and techniques for maintaining positive mental health during lockdown and beyond. It has advice for parents if children feel anxious about coronavirus. A PDF copy can be downloaded HERE.
Older news items
Many news items that were posted on this page more than a week ago have been copied to another page and can be found HERE
