Health team joins NHS Highland and Inverness Courier's Reach Out campaign
A TEAM of Highland health workers has signed up to a major campaign to help combat loneliness and social isolation.
Living It Up – a digital service designed to help people over 50 who may be living with long term conditions – has signed up to the Reach Out campaign launched by NHS Highland in conjunction with the Inverness Courier.
Launched a year ago in the wake of new research revealing loneliness can be as bad for people as smoking 15 cigarettes a day and increases the risk of premature death by 10 per cent, the campaign invites everyone to make a pledge to carry out a task of their choosing to address one of the biggest issues facing society today.
Since then, it has secured the backing of politicians, local businesses and organisations, and individuals.
Living It Up, a health, wellbeing and self-management website supported by NHS 24 and the Scottish Government, is the latest to give its support.
Its Highland team, a branch of NHS Highland’s technology enabled care department, has pledged to raise awareness of the campaign across the region and encourage others to get involved.
Project support officer Flora Barton, who is based at the Centre for Health Science in the grounds of Raigmore Hospital, has already been highlighting the aims of the campaign to others while she is out and about,
“We are delighted to sign a pledge to join the Reach Out campaign,” she said. “We do a lot of work with older people in communities across Highland and we will spread the word of the aims and objectives of the campaign.”
She recently attended a roadshow in the Eastgate Shopping Centre in Inverness where she promoted Reach Out.
The Living It Up website provides access to information, advice and support about local groups, clubs, organisations and activities to encourage people to get out, get involved, get active and feel part of their community.
Topics include health issues, keeping well, healthy lifestyles, remaining independent, long-term health conditions, self-management and help available for carers.
NHS Highland’s health promotion specialist, Jane Chandler, welcomed the team’s backing for Reach Out.
“We are delighted that Living It Up, a branch of NHS Highland’s technology enabled care department, has signed a pledge to help us combat social isolation and loneliness,” she said.
“We look forward to working with Living It Up to spread the word of the campaign and the fantastic work that they do.”
The Reach Out campaign was launched last May at Drakies Primary School in Inverness where pupils run a community café, bringing together people.
Since then, it has secured the backing of individuals and organisations plus Highland councillors, MSPs and MPs in signing the pledge to do more to tackle loneliness in their communities.
The Highland Community Planning Partnership Board, comprising representatives from the health authority, Highland Council, Police Scotland, Scottish Fire and Rescue Service, Highlands and Islands Enterprise, Scottish Natural Heritage plus voluntary organisations, also signed up to give its full support, saying member organisations would encourage as many staff as possible to get involved.
Tasks could be something as simple as chatting to an elderly neighbour, signing up to be a volunteer with an existing organisation, helping to form a befrienders’ group or getting together a team to organise a social event.
- Visit the Living It Up website at www.livingitup.org.uk, or to get involved in the Reach Out campaign, visit www.reachout.scot.nhs.uk
