Supporting people to ensure they are R OK
Today is R U OK? Day and we felt it was important to take a moment to reflect on the work our support workers do each and every day to ensure people R OK.
There is no doubt that every industry has been impacted by COVID-19, and no one understands this more than our frontline workers. The pressure placed on the health and disability support sector during the pandemic has been (and continues to be) huge. It’s been a really tough time, and we get it! Looking after the mental health and well-being of our healthcare and community workers and the people they support has never been more important.
But in the face of difficultly comes the opportunity to make powerful impact. We sat down with one of our own Support Workers, Jodie, who gave us great insight into what it was like to work in the disability support sector throughout COVID-19. She shared with us the importance of initiating important conversations and feeling supported in the workplace how she helped her customers (and herself) build resilience.
How have you found the last few years, being a frontline worker? What have been some of the challenges?
I started working in the disability sector in the middle of the pandemic, so I don’t really have anything to compare my experience to as this was normal to me. But I suppose the biggest challenge was wearing a mask and explaining to customers that they were essential in keeping themselves and myself safe.
Another more technical challenge was helping customers access their vaccination certificates using the mobile app. I think I helped around 30 people connect their certificates in a couple of months! It was hard to try and link the details to Centrelink as well as Medicare so that they had their digital vaccination certificate – but we got there in the end.
How was your mental health affected during the pandemic as a Support Worker, what helped you get through it?
Personally, it was the lockdowns that affected me. But to get through, I think just realising and telling yourself that it's just another thing that is happening in life that we cannot control, and we are all going through it together. So, a lot of positive self-talk to de-stress is what helped me.
Did you find that your customers’ mental health was impacted during the pandemic? How did you help them manage this?
I didn’t notice any big changes in my customers’ mental health. They might have been a little bit worried about what was happening, but they didn’t seem too out of sorts. There were some clients that were worried about making sure they had up-to-date vaccinations, which I helped them with to stay on top of their health, but thankfully nothing too serious.
But on a more positive note, I had some feedback sent to my NNA Direct Support Coordinator that a customer was really happy with the support I had been providing, . She mentioned how I had boosted her life and helped her do some things she hadn’t been able to achieve before. That was nice to hear during a pretty challenging time.
How do you approach the conversation about mental health with your customers? Do you have any tips?
It’s a bit hard at first if you don’t know the customer. Mental health is a touchy subject, so you should never push for an answer. If the customer is comfortable and willing to talk then that’s fine. I think if you approach it with open questions like “how are you going?” and a “what has been happening?” or “how’s the week been?” that kind of opens the door. If they bring up something they want to talk about, that’s when I will have a chat with them.
I have a couple of clients that are quite open in how they feel and what’s going on in their lives. I think once you get to know somebody well and have built a strong relationship, it’s usually quite easy to have these conversations. Once they do start to open up and start talking, I reassure them that they’re not alone and reassure them that it’s okay to talk about it. Mental health issues are not something we should be ashamed of, and it’s important to remind people to get help if they need it.
My big piece of advice is that you need to take the time to listen - that’s really important. Everybody needs somebody who will listen and not judge! Reassure them that it is okay - I find that works best.
As a frontline worker, how important is it that you have a supportive workplace? Have you felt supported?
NNA Direct Support Service is fantastic, they are really supportive. Sadly, I had a client pass away and my Manager, Myles, personally called me to check in and ask if I needed support. He was great and said “Jodie, you really made his life enjoyable during his last few months”. Hearing this made me feel better about a situation I had no control over. Being reminding of the positive impact we make as support workers and having this recognised is important.
But when it comes to my work, there is always back up support and the team has been very understanding throughout the pandemic. I find everyone easy to get along with, friendly and just feel really welcomed. I enjoy my work, and that’s really important in my job!
If you need professional support or simply just need to have a chat with someone about your mental health, you are not alone. Whether it’s your workplace’s EAP program, doctor or one of the services we have listed below, there is support available.
Lifeline
13 11 14
Call 24/7 for crisis support and suicide prevention services. Text support is also available: 0477 13 11 14
Beyond Blue
1300 22 4636
Call 24/7 for advice, referral and support from a trained mental health professional
Griefline
1300 845 745
Helpline 6am to midnight AEST.
Free telephone counselling, online forums and resources for people experiencing grief and loss.
There are also a number of resources available that we will list below.
Black Dog Institute
blackdoginstitute.org.au
Research, information, facts and online resources for mental health and illnesses.
BeyondNow
An app where you can create a safety plan if experiencing crisis and distress.
myCompass
mycompass.org.au
Free online self-help program for people with mild to moderate depression, anxiety and stress.
