Overcoming isolation during lockdown

When the VALUES project closed its face-to-face service in March 2020 and moved a lot of their sessions online, Zoe struggled to get online and take part in those sessions.

Zoe lives on her own and her mother passed away at the beginning of the year, which was very difficult for her as they were very close. With no other family nearby, it was important for the VALUES team that they could continue to connect with Zoe to limit her isolation and try to provide some form of normality. VALUES visited Zoe at home, taking care to be COVID-safe, so that they could set WhatsApp up on her phone and show her how to make video calls so that Zoe could see the faces of her VALUES support workers. Zoe was very happy with the new setup:

I really look forward to these calls, it’s nice to talk to someone.

It was clear that Zoe wasn’t getting out of the house very much and that this was affecting her mental health. The VALUES team spoke to Zoe and her social worker to find out what they could do to help. They arranged one-to-one support, meeting Zoe at her house and going for a walk with her once a week. All of the necessary safety precautions were put in place to make sure Zoe and the staff team were safe when they went out. These weekly walks really lifted Zoe’s mood, which was noticeable to everyone who supported her.

I was pleased to have someone to talk to and see, especially with my mum dying, it’s been hard.

The VALUES team is really pleased to have been able to make a difference to Zoe during lockdown, and now she is back at VALUES attending her weekly sessions and seeing her friends again.

More about VALUES

To find out more about what VALUES is, the activities they provide and how you can make a referral, visit the VALUES page.