In the latest of a series of stories from the Mental Health Grants Programme, Barlow Moor Community Association have provided us with Mary's story.
Mary* moved to the Barlow Moor area over forty years ago and is the last living member of her family with friends who live a long distance away. As she attended more Time 4 You sessions, she talked more about her time growing up and the difference between when she attended Great Hucklow Activity Centre then and the young people that attended today. As conversations developed, Mary said she would like to use the computer or tablet to research celebrities from the 1920s and 1930s and she then attended the computer class that was held within the centre.
As our oldest member at 92, Mary has benefitted a great deal from the Time 4 You activities which include cooking sessions, food tasting, health checks, safety awareness, and relaxation days. At first, she felt offended at the thought of being attached to anything associated with mental health, as she explained to us that mental health problems ‘back in her day’ had very negative connotations. Staff took the time to clarify all the different levels of mental health and that there would not be any stigma attached.
She started coming in for a cup of tea and ‘just to see what was going on’. Not having anyone else to talk to once the warden for the flats had gone, her days would be very long as she did not sleep very well at night, and on some occasions, she did not sleep at all. This had a major impact on her speech and balance. She felt comfortable coming in for the 1-2-1 sessions, and sometimes she would sit on the couch and sleep, and sometimes she enjoyed talking about her travels, and adventures abroad.
Mary now comes to the community centre on a regular basis, and enjoys researching and continues to enjoy looking for information to do with politics and movie stars of years ago with the use of a laptop. She has regained her confidence and looks forward to seeing staff members and other members of the group. She has told us on more than one occasion that since she has started coming to the project she has learnt so many interesting things including how to use Google, You Tube, and the internet in general.
The Time 4 You sessions are open to people of any age and staff listened to the ideas, requests and suggestions of the community so that the project meets the needs of everyone.
*not her real name
Barlow Moor Community Association funded this activity with a mental health grant from Manchester Health & Care Commissioning.