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Getting through the pandemic
Lynne graduated from the Dialectical Behaviour Therapy (DBT) program and case management service a few years ago. She currently sits on the Peer Engagement and Advisory Committee for CMHA Ottawa. Below she shares one way she is getting through the pandemic.
I have volunteered with seniors for more than five years. Pre-pandemic I volunteered with a day program on Mondays, where I helped with programming and serving the lunch.
When the pandemic struck, the in-person day program was temporarily shut-down. We now meet via video chat for an hour on Mondays to check-in with one another and to do an activity.
I am also part of a team of volunteers who call seniors every two days for friendly conversation and to see if they need anything. The centre also needs people to go grocery shopping and deliver them to seniors who are not able to do so for themselves—I volunteer for that service a couple of times a week.
The clients are incredibly grateful for the check-ins and groceries. Being busy and contributing is good for my mood. We learned in DBT that one of the elements to leading a healthy life is to contribute —helping seniors is my way to do this. It also gets me out of my mind so that I am not sitting at home ruminating.
It’s truly a win-win.
—Lynne