Jinny & Hannah – Carer and Cared for

Prior to lockdown and Covid19, Mum Jinny on the right in the photo and daughter Hannah were busy as volunteers actively involved in face to face Training with our Involvement, Experience and Volunteering team and the Family Interventions Team This interview took place before Covid put our face to face learning on hold. As something to inspire us that one day we will meet again in the classroom here’s why they got involved and continue to offer their support to us as well as each other.

Jinny is known for her cheery disposition and enthusiasm. She enjoys passing on her knowledge and experience to others. Hannah is creative and a valuable member of any group she is involved with. She uses her lived experience of hearing voices to help others. Jinny supports Hannah and Hannah supports Jinny.

Jinny commented, Knowledge is very empowering, keep training, keep learning, keep passing it onto other people. I wonder if its down to feeling well supported by involvement? I’m not good on the internet and because you’re contactable, I can leave a message and you get back to me.

Hannah, ‘I feel supported because Mum is supported. Family Intervention Training has helped me to talk about my illness and makes me feel normal’.

Jinny, Hannah’s wellbeing is a lot better, Family Intervention taught us to be calm. The carers group at Bassetlaw offered us mindfulness and it helped. I feel we are useful. Andrea Emmens, Family Interventions Co-ordinator at Nottinghamshire Healthcare has been the most influential person in our lives since we lost my husband, Hannah’s Dad. She is always there. Her signposting to other things to help us helped us to make our decisions. She is the most inspiring person and I’ve known her for over 12 years. Hannah commented – ‘I like her and she is supportive, Kelly and Beth from the team are amazing too‘.

Hannah described why she got involved. ‘To help carers in Bassetlaw. We began with the Carers Group and then connected with to the Carers Hub via Lauren Medlam. The Hearing Voices Network have helped me to talk about it. I have volunteered with the Maastricht Training for over 10 years through Peter Bullimore ‘ We have also been Involved in Carers Awareness and Triangle of Care training with Involvement and our Learning and Organisational Department

Jinny commented, hope; you need hope. It’s a long journey. Because we had help, people who we have come across became influences to us via their work. Because Mental Heath is ongoing, carers become exhausted‘ We can be involved in the Family intervention Training as we’ve lived it, we know it and downtime is important’

One of the issues with training during Covid is that some carers and families get left behind or have to get to grips with new technology. For some this is welcomed and opens up a new window to their lives and with it an online perspective of the world. Jinny and Hannah are no different. So what are they up to right now?

Jinny and Hannah have now decided to embrace online technology!

• Hannah has a new laptop, both Jinny and Hannah are getting to grips with it.
• Both want to resume volunteering role but in a safe way. This is dependent on current restrictions in place.
• Bassetlaw Carer Support Group is running again; in outdoor green space in Retford and Worksop and socially distanced.
• The Family Interventions Team (FIT) are delivering Covid-19 Carer Support across Adult Mental Health Services.

Postscript: The pandemic has meant that some of our carers have reluctantly taken on new skills in this area but there is a new hope here of reconnection and developing new links with like minded people. Of course, there will always be those carers who are unable to access technology and we need to work with those groups of people who are isolated or left behind due to this. As we move further towards Winter, this is ever more on our minds and something we must address.

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