BluebirdCare Havering supports World Mental Health Day 2019

This October 10th, Bluebird Care Havering is supporting World Mental Health Day, an initiative aiming to raise awareness of and promote education about mental health issues.

This October 10th, Bluebird Care Havering is supporting World Mental Health Day, an initiative aiming to raise awareness of and promote education about mental health issues. The day also advocates people to talk about their feelings and encourages them to look after their own wellbeing.

This year’s theme focuses on suicide prevention and the role we can play to help prevent it. According to the World Health Organisation (WHO), almost 800,000 people commit suicide every year, this means that every 40 seconds, someone loses their life to suicide. In addition, for every suicide, there are more than 20 suicide attempts. Suicide is a globally phenomenon, 79% of global suicides happen in low- and middle-income countries and it is the second leading cause of death for 15-29 years olds.

The WHO states certain risk factors of suicide:

• Mental health disorders (in particular depression and alcohol use disorders)
• Previous suicide attempts
• Loss or bereavement
• Loneliness
• Discrimination
• Relationship problems
• Financial problems
• Work issues
• Illness
• Violence and abuse
• Conflict
• Humanitarian emergencies

Suicide and suicide attempts have a huge impact on families, friends and communities. Key interventions recommended by the WHO which can help prevent suicide include:

• Limiting access to means.
• Educating coping strategies for young people to deal with life’s pressures.
• Early detection, management and keeping in touch with people who have considered suicide or have attempted suicide.
• Liaising with the media to ensure responsible suicide reports.

Alvin Osei-Tutu, Director of Bluebird Care Havering, commented,

“We need to take care of our mental health wellbeing. We can improve our wellbeing by talking to people about the way we are feeling, keeping in contact with friends and family and getting out and about.

Raising awareness of mental health and suicide could truly save lives and Bluebird Care is one hundred percent behind the campaign.”

Visit the World Health Organisation website: https://www.who.int/news-room/events/detail/2019/10/10/default-calendar/world-mental-health-day-2019-focus-on-suicide-prevention to find out more about World Mental Health Day and information on suicide prevention.

Bluebird Care is a national provider of care in the home, specialising in working with customers who live with dementia, physical disabilities and many other acute and chronic conditions. Bluebird Care work alongside their customers’ families, social services and the NHS to ensure each person receives the care they need.

Bluebird Care offers a unique service of tailored care visits which range from anything from 30 minutes to full live-in support. As well as personal care they also help with meal preparation, welfare checks, shopping, social trips, visits to the hospital and provide extra support for post-discharge customers.

For more details contact Bluebird Care by calling 01708 372842, emailing havering@bluebirdcare.co.uk, or visiting their website http://www.bluebirdcare.co.uk/havering/home