INTERDISCIPLINARY INSIGHTS – NEW APPROACHES AND CREATIVE PARTNERSHIPS: THE WORKSHOP CHALLENGE
Currently listening to Survivor’s With a Burning Heart… #motivationalmusic
This task was delayed quite a bit. But finally it’s complete. As already mentioned in a previous blog post, the aim of this week’s challenge was to learn more about approaches when working with people from different fields of expertise. As already mentioned, I chose ‘reducing isolation and loneliness’. You can read the W.I.P. blog post here. I was a bit nervous prior to the call with Daniela Calleja Bitar – the C.O.O. of Richmond Foundation. Probably it’s because I never done something like this before or just being overwhelmed with everything. The 2020 syndrome probably…
Prep-thinking
Apart from thinking about who I can speak to regarding my topic. I thought of making a little mind-map of possible ideas on some possible solution of how loneliness can be alleviated. A couple of good ideas came up but was not entirely happy about them simply because they all revolved around a digital platform or a group meeting. That being said, I still listed them down and this is the outcome.
The Questions
Anyway… to make my life a bit easier, I made the smart decision and wrote the questions down and decided on another thing… but that’s a little surprise for all of you who would listen. The questions are listed below:
- “Before we start off, would you like to introduce yourself and what Richmond is?”
- “What is the difference between loneliness and isolation?”
- “From your experience, what contributes to such an emotional state? And such situation?”
- “Who is prone for such a situation?”
- “Do you think that loneliness and isolation are on the increase / decrease?” Pre COVID-19 and during COVID-19…
- “In comparison to previous years, do you think that the notion of loneliness” changed? If yes, how?”
- “From your experience as well as expertise, what has proved to be an effective solution/aid to help in reducing loneliness and isolation? And how has that changed since the pandemic?”
- “Are you aware of apps such as Whisper and No Name?” Do you think that it is a good way of communication or face-to-face interaction is always favoured?”
- “Are there any particular services available at the moment?”
- “In an ideal world, what would the ideal form of service or tool?”
To be on the safe side, I formulated the questions on the more formal side. As I had no idea who will I be speaking to – I had on seen her on talk shows, I thought keeping it formal is best. Although it turned out to be a very friendly conversation as you will hear later on. As you can see the questions revolve around the topic itself. This is because I want to learn more about the issue of loneliness and isolation itself rather than plunging into the solution straight away. Granted that everyone knows the gist of what both words mean, but in everyday language, the through meaning may be skewed. Also, listening to an expert in the field will give a much clearer perspective on the topic in question.
Podcast and Key Findings
An interesting finding that came up from this conversation is how closely loneliness and isolation are to mental health issue. In fact the two are a contributing factor to a person’s mental health. As we are meant to be interacting with each, we can be the biggest lone wolves – we still miss out on that human connection.
Another interesting point is about the youth. Surprisingly, the youth are more open to speaking out about their experience, particularly anxiety, as opposed to more mature adults. Although the point I am about to make was not mentioned in the call, a factor to this result could be the fact that nowadays there is more awareness regarding mental health, which is a very good thing. Stigma was mentioned during the call and the fact that the younger generation are better educated about this topic, it shows signs that the stigma is starting to be eliminated. Sadly though, there are still people who are scared to talk about what they are going through, mostly for fear of being deemed as ‘weak’.
During the call, we talked about how COVID-19 has impacted this sector. For better or worse, the current situation made people switch to virtual methods of communication because of ‘imposed distancing’. That. being said, it was brought to light that there are people out there who still do not have such means or know-how of making use of such tools. Besides the elderly, people with various disabilities found it difficult in such times to cope. Which is why Richmond Foundation also made use of telephone lines. Bitar also points out that the helpline saw an increase of incoming calls of around 400-500%, with the common reason being various degrees of anxiety and loneliness. With that being said, Bitar also points out that given the current situation, a virtual form of communication is better than no communication at all.
When it comes to apps and online services, the conclusion was that they can be beneficial to whoever uses them, given that the apps is design to be an aid, and the app creators and operators are well trained and understand their target market. One of the example of online services mentioned is ‘Kellimni’ (translates to Talk To Me) which is an online support service aimed for youths suffering from mental health issues. Since it’s inception, this support service has proven to be a very successful one.
What shall I make of this information?
It was a very insightful conversation. Although people are aware of mental health issues and are more considerate of people suffering from such issues, the topic still carries that taboo. And the fact that an emotional state such as loneliness is a contributing factor is not good at all, especially when it is something that can be reduced or prevented altogether. No one should feel left out or alone.
Following this conversation, I now have a better perspective on the topic, plus I have abetter mindset and a better idea of watch creative direction I should take in attempt to find a solution to help bring positive change to this issue.
