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Day 25 of Lockdown – The Keep Fit Edition

MyWellness AppDay 25 of Lockdown

We have three bits of news from Colchester Borough Council on day 25.  Let’s get stuck in, we have:

Keep Fit

Leisure World has launched the My Wellness App to help residents stay healthy during the lockdown.  This is being offered in partnership with their health and wellness supplier, Technogym.

The app has been created so residents can continue to enjoy the benefits that regular exercise has on wellbeing. It has a range of workouts, from easy to hard, so all residents can challenge themselves and enjoy the benefits.

It’s Free!

The app is free of charge to all residents and can be accessed by visiting www.mywellness.com/colchesterlw. Residents will need to create a new account and complete a sign-up form before downloading the app.

Leisure World customers get the added benefit that this will link to equipment at Leisure World’s Activa gym; when the site reopens you will be able to track and monitor individual progress.

Livewell

The My Wellness app supports the council’s objectives of the Livewell campaign which aims to improve residents’ health and wellbeing, helping create a Better Colchester.

Key contacts and information on wellbeing and mental health support can be found in the COVID-19 Community Response Pack. The pack is updated regularly and can be downloaded from www.colchester.gov.uk/coronavirus.

Helpline PLusHelpline to Maintain Peace of Mind During Lockdown

Since the UK entered lockdown on 23 March 2020, over 900 home visits have been made to older and vulnerable people living in Colchester and North Essex, who called for emergency assistance from Colchester’s Helpline team, predominantly after experiencing a fall in the home. Helpline staff follow Government safety advice and are equipped with appropriate personal protective equipment (PPE) during home visits.

Over 3,000 Responses Since 23rd March

In total, the Helpline team have responded to over 3,350 alarm activations during lockdown from individuals activating their personal alarms (pendants and wristbands) for assistance. Over the Easter bank holiday weekend alone, the on-call team made over 30 home visits.

Over 3,500 customers across the borough and north Essex rely on Helpline’s emergency alarm, response and monitoring service. The 24 hours-a-day, 365 days-a-year service responds to and lifts hundreds of residents each month, enabling people to stay at home while relieving pressures on Emergency Services.

Early Measures

To ensure Helpline can continue running through the lockdown period Colchester Amphora Trading, which runs Helpline on behalf of Colchester Borough Council, took early measures to:

  • Recruit nine new staff from other parts of the council. All have received appropriate first aid and lifting and handling training to boost the service’s core team.
  • Secure enough recommended PPE to ensure response teams are adequately protected when responding to home callouts.

Easing Burden on the NHS

Helpline is also helping to ease the pressure on hospital and ambulance staff at this critical time. The team have been working closely with the East of England Ambulance Service for the last three years to pick up non-injured fallers following clinical triaging by EEAST with the aim of easing the pressures on NHS frontline staff.

Helpline’s users are not exclusively older people. Some have a physical disability or suffer from a chronic condition such as epilepsy or arthritis or are recovering from illness. Other customers are simply concerned for their personal safety and security, if they are perhaps prone to falls or have a condition such as dementia.

Free Trial

Helpline is offering a free, no obligation, demonstration of its equipment, with the first 12 weeks service provided free.  This is targetted for those unable to visit family and friends during this unprecedented time who feel they would benefit from the additional support.

To find out how more call 01206 769799 or visit www.helplineplus.co.uk.

Community360 Volunteers

Hundreds of local people have come forward to help the One Colchester response to the coronavirus outbreak.

Since the outbreak started, Community360 have registered an extra 300 people as a volunteer – offering to do essential tasks for the most vulnerable people in Colchester’s community. They are supporting with a wide range of tasks – from phoning people who are on their own for a chat to collecting and delivering essential medicines and food.

Allocating Roles

Work is ongoing to match those who need help with suitable volunteers. Whilst One Colchester is delighted with the response from local people so far, we are aware that some volunteers have yet to be given a role and don’t want them to feel disheartened as it’s clear that more volunteers are needed in the coming weeks and months.

Grateful

Community360 has been receiving some heartfelt thank you messages from residents who are receiving support from volunteers.  One resident, who was advised to self-isolate for 3 months, expressed her gratitude. She is a single parent who struggled for the first couple of weeks of shut down without any support network. She spoke to Community360 and had a food package delivered the same day and their prescription the day after.

The help and prompt response was overwhelming.  It reduced me to tears for the relief that I finally had help and didn’t have to endure the shops anymore; you even gave my daughter an Easter egg, wow, what compassionate people you are. I thank you all from the bottom of my heart for your help and support in such horrible times. You’re all doing an amazing job.

If you need volunteer help or would like to volunteer, please email [email protected] or call 012016 505250.

The council, voluntary sector, police, health, education and the business community along with many others make up the One Colchester partnership.  They are committed to close collaboration in support of our communities.

Future LearnThings To Do

Future Learn has a useful page offering 50 free things you can do during Lockdown.  They range from painting to singing, guided museum tours to fitness programmes.  Some of the highlights for me were:

  • Openculture has a great list of 1150 free films you can watch online right now. If you have an eligible university or library card, you might also have access to Kanopy which offers thousands more film options for free.
  • Current technology means that you can explore other cities and even other times online, such as this virtual tour of ancient Rome which takes you through the forum, capitoline hill, and famous monuments.
  • Have any paint and brushes lying around? You’ll be pleased to know that 403 episodes of the timeless Joy of Painting have been added to YouTube so you can listen to his soothing tones while you paint happy little trees and enjoy the beauty of imperfections.
  • You could try the 100 pushup challenge, squat challenge, or just doing a 30-day bodyweight workout challenge to stay healthy at home for free.
    Just make sure that you don’t push too hard early on, and warm up thoroughly before you do any exercise.
  • If you like board games, websites like Tabletopia have free accounts for players, but you may need to pay to play some of the more popular or newer games.
  • After the closure of non-essential businesses, multiple opera houses like the Met Opera have started streaming performances. Perfect if you’re a long-time opera lover or even if you’ve always been curious about it.
  • You can’t jump on a plane, but you can still see some of the world’s most famous views thanks to Google street view.
  • Tracing your family tree can unearth lost memories or even distant relatives. Start by learning about genealogy and you can discover more about yourself and your background.

See the full list at Future Learn.

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