kyokukats

What tips would you recommend for elderly people who live alone and are feeling depressed due to the impact of corona? As a district nurse I see quite a few clients who are depressed and very scared of corona virus.

It's good to see there are many similarities in the way handle this. I'm from the Netherlands by the way.

There is a pilot starting here like Silver Line, where the elderly can call someone free of charge for some social interaction. Also we have what we call 'employee living' (not a social worker), who goes to the clients to have a chat and do some activities. I'm hearing really positive results from that.

In my roll as nurse I try and be a neutral third party to the clients. I have the feeling that people can confide their feelings and struggles to me which helps me to understand them. I always try to search for solutions together and otherwise name a few solutions. It's not easy for clients to seek mental health services especially in these hard times. I hope I can get a referral from the GP for a psychiatric nurse practitioner for one client. They visit their clients at their homes and are better equipped to help people with depression and emotional problems.

Thank you for reminding me to take some quality time after work. Reading books helps me unwind.