We recently closed both practices for a few hours whilst we held a Well Being Afternoon. After a brief (but delicious) lunch we were lucky enough to listen to three speakers.
Mind Solent, a fantastic local mental health charity were first…
Mental health is such a broad term with many conditions under it’s umbrella. It is vitally important to be aware of our own, and other’s mental health struggles. Mind Solent spoke predominantly on anxiety and depression. We learnt just how prevalent they both are in today’s society and how both can(and do) affect everybody to a varying degree. Still considered by many as taboo subjects, something to be ashamed of, and not to be openly discussed. We talked about how mental illness is nothing to be embarrassed or ashamed of, and how crucial it is that we all start to understand how to help ourselves and others around us. Never underestimate just how important it is to TALK! www.mind.org.uk
Practising Paramedic Nick was next to take the floor! Time for us all to make fools of ourselves with a bit of CPR. Nick was fantastic, he furnished us with the success rates for people who DO NOT receive emergency CPR from bystanders while waiting for an ambulance; this information proved too terrible to even consider, so with a new sense of importance we all threw ourselves in 100%.
Finally we met Theresa Osborne-Bell. We learnt a bit about her sight loss journey and met her beautiful Guide Dog Fizz. What a fantastic team they are, such an inspiration and a joy to listen to. We now all have a much better understanding of the amazing work involved. The training that both the owners and the dogs go through is vast, working tirelessly together in partnership to give that person their independence. If you would like to know more about Theresa and Fizz’s story please do take a look at her blog: www.seemyway.co.uk