Social Justice Sunday – supporting Disability clients

21 August 2020

21 Aug 2020

Since 1988, the Australian Catholic Bishops Conference (ACBC) has released a Social Justice Statement each year to highlight a particular societal issue. This year the Social Justice Statement is titled, To Live Life to the Full: Mental Health in Australia Today.

Anxiety is the most common mental health issue experienced by Stacey Joyce’s clients during the COVID-19 pandemic. As a VMCH psychologist, Stacey supports people with complex disabilities living in supported housing. She says all her clients have lost access to work and social programs through COVID-19 and are missing face-to-face contact with their friends and families. Despite this, they’re coping “incredibly well” with staff across houses working hard to make their days more fun and interesting and connecting them virtually with loved ones.

Below are Stacey’s anxiety behaviours to watch for and tips for helping her clients feel safe and anxiety-free (which could help anyone experiencing anxiety.)

Anxiety looks different for everyone, but can look like:

anger or irritability
sadness
over protection of personal belongings or space
rejection of people we usually trust
not doing things we usually enjoy doing
repeatedly doing or saying the same thing over and over
forgetting things or not being able to focus
clinginess
hyperactivity
tiredness
eating much more or much less
sleeping much more or much less.

Our clients are being supported to feel safe by:

regular check-ins to talk about how they are feeling
being supported to do the things that interest them and make them feel good
connecting with people who make them feel good. Zoom has been an amazing tool
encouraging clients to move their bodies every day, in fresh air if possible.
making social stories, video and picture guides to help clients understand changes (such as face masks) and feel safe
favourite movies and music can make clients feel happy and safe
doing yoga, deep breathing or relaxation videos can calm the body
TeleHealth is a great way for clients to staff connected with their therapists, which makes them feel safe
consider watching less news
focus on what clients can control – such as washing their hands and socially distancing.

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Acknowledgement of Country

We here at VMCH respectfully acknowledge the traditional owners of the lands on which we gather, and we would like to take a moment to honour the fact that we live on the lands of the oldest civilisation in the world. We acknowledge the stories, traditions and wisdom of Aboriginal and Torres Straight Islander peoples, and pay our respects to their elders past, present and emerging.