A day in the life of...
Crystal Bloomfield, Outreach Manager at Hammersley Homes, which provides ongoing support for adults who live with enduring mental health challenges.
This is a feature from Issue 10 of Charitable Traveller. Click to read more from this issue.
Since the pandemic the number of people suffering from their mental health has increased further. In the UK we have great provision for people who reach crisis point and lots of temporary help, but ongoing support isn’t there for many people who need it. Our volunteers catch up with clients remotely and in person. We offer them friendship and help with anything they might be struggling with. We all need a nudge to do the washing sometimes, but if you’re suffering from mental illness, small things can become overwhelming. Many clients live alone and are quite vulnerable. We replace loneliness, ,chaos, and confusion with kindness and compassion. We support them to find hobbies, build a social network and get involved in the community.
A typical day...
… starts with looking at the log notes from our volunteers to see if there are any safeguarding concerns or anything else I need to follow up. I recruit, train, and induct our team of volunteers. I also write up support plans and risk assessments, communicate with the mental health services who refer to us and meet with clients to carry out their initial assessment and find out how we can help them to live their best lives. Every day is different but I love it.
the hardest thing...
…is hearing when there are safeguarding concerns, but the biggest challenge in my job is expanding our services to support all the people who need them.
The Best Bit...
…is when I here how beneficial our services are. One client told me that they has started enjoying hobbies again and it gave them such a confidence boost. The trust and friendship clients build with volunteers means they come out of their shell and gain a real sense of purpose. The volunteers also find it rewarding and they develop great life skills. One told me that what they learnt with us improved their relationship with a relative. Our services have a knock-on effect. It sets the friends and relatives of our clients’ minds at rest and lessens the strain on their own mental health. It also impacts the community, because we prevent people getting to the point of hospitalisation or on the wrong side of the law. Mental health support has a snowball affect.
GIVE DIGNITY
Hammersley Homes rely on donations to run services for people who can’t get support anywhere else. More donations means more people have the chance to live a happy life.
This is a feature from Issue 10 of Charitable Traveller. Click to read more from this issue.
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