Be More Human Archives

Challenges in Home Care for Mental Health in Hunstanton (4:33)

A resident describes an elderly neighbour with serious mental health problems who self-harms, is losing her sight and takes powerful, complex medication administered by carers four times daily.

The neighbour received a £4,500 bill for care she did not realise she was being charged for, prompting the resident to contact a support worker, whose response involved Citizens Advice rather than needed face-to-face help; the issue is ongoing and she pays a token monthly amount.

The resident highlights gaps in community mental health support, noting reliance on neighbours to check on vulnerable people despite living in ‘supported living’. One carer is praised for practical help, and crisis services have been involved. The discussion also mentions another resident with schizophrenia and hoarding creating fire risk, and reflects on the value—and limits—of citizen-led belonging and care.

Navigating Challenges: Technology, Mental Health, and Personal Journeys (5:13)

These adults describe how conflict and crowded public places trigger intense anxiety, making it feel as if people are swarming towards them, though they stress it is not others’ fault and they no longer apologise for their mental health.

They say technology has reduced communication, listening, eye contact and interaction, and has also created fear.

They live with good and bad days and also have PTSD from spending two years in a war zone in Sri Lanka during a previous, abusive marriage, eventually being extracted by the embassy.

They feel depressed about being pushed towards online services as banks close, fearing scams and struggling with computers, self-scan checkouts and cash machines, though they are proud of gradually learning to text and use an indoor ATM.

They feel people are too busy to teach them.

Breaking Free: A Journey from a 30-Year Abusive Marriage (4:13)

A woman describes enduring a controlling, abusive marriage for 30 years, isolated from family and friends and unable to seek help.

Overwhelmed, she once stood in the road hoping a bus would kill her, and was later kept in a closed ward for three months for her safety.

She was forced to leave her beloved bungalow and gardening after a psychiatrist warned her she could not return because her husband might kill her.

An abuse worker supported her for two years, teaching her basic independence such as using a phone, but then moved to Australia, leaving her to navigate a difficult divorce alone.

Now 81, she says many women her age stay and endure abuse, struggles to make friends, and finds her main support through a local Catholic church, where she has gained confidence to read from the pulpit.

Mental Health Journeys: Conversations of Support and Healing (4:54)

This autistic man describes feeling unsupported by their brother and sister when ill and struggling with mental health, contrasting this with the comfort of friendships and supportive spaces.

They recall enjoying a trolley-pushing job because it felt safe, allowed them to help others, and kept them away from management.

They feel out of place in the modern world, miss the simpler past and their parents, and seek structure by attending groups such as music, records and colouring to get out of their flat and break up the day. They also visit a crisis centre café where staff and friends listen without giving advice, which helps them offload frustration and feels healing and cathartic.

They value the environment as a respectful, like-minded, safe space where they do not have to pretend.

From Struggle to Support: The Kings-Lynn Library Insights (3:10)

This adult male describes being allocated a chalet bungalow for 10 years but becoming unable to maintain it as their health worsened, alongside bullying and specific issues with their sister.

They sought counselling, struggled daily, became suicidal and still has these thoughts, but now feels safer living at Freestone Court, a nearby retirement place.

They explain difficulties going into town due to sensory overload and claustrophobia, using ear loops to cope with sounds, and liken their experience to being in the backseat while their brain drives, leading to severe panic attacks they often manage alone.

After moving to King’s Lynn, they found support at Steam House café, a safe space with a crisis centre and a music group that helps like music therapy, where they’ve made close friends.

They feel exhausted by masking their mental health and note they lack a specific diagnosis, feeling like a frightened boy due to past shyness and school bullying that made them leave early.

Journey Through Inner Conflict: A Tale of Strength (2:18)

This autistic adult explains that friends, including Christine and others at the Steam House, help them cope, and they try to join activities to get out of the flat, which can feel emotionally suffocating and trigger pacing and intrusive thoughts.

They still have bad thoughts and talk about wanting to see their mum and dad but not doing it, continuing because they feel they still have life to live.

They describe being mentally unstable but physically “okay-ish”, swinging between happiness and sadness due to memories and a sense of loss.

They become paranoid about losing friends and worry about what will happen if their current place closes, recognising a conflict between anxious thoughts and logic.

They call it constant inner turmoil and mental tiredness from fighting through each day.

Finding Smiles: A Gorleston Perspective (0:57)

The retired carer described moments that made them smile, particularly when they had formed a strong connection with a resident who had severe self-harming issues.

Over time, they had learned her routines and triggers and had developed procedures to manage incidents safely, such as placing cushions to soften falls, so they had been prepared when things went wrong.

They had felt proud of their work because they had built a good working relationship with her, despite others having been frightened due to her rare condition.

The speaker had emphasised that this level of care had required skill and practice over time, and had highlighted the importance of regular, consistent staffing so residents could be supported by familiar, experienced people.

From Funding to Care Quality: A Gorleston Interview (1:48)

This ex-care worker describes experiencing better care when services were well funded and directly insourced under the council, with higher standards, stronger oversight and union support for workers.

They recall extensive in-person training being funded, including a three-day swimming lifesaver course and a Makaton (sign-along) course, allowing staff to take as much training as needed to improve professionalism and care quality.

This training helped them support a service user who used Makaton and had severe self-harming issues, leading to fewer incidents as the relationship and understanding improved.

They attribute these improvements to increased public service funding under Tony Blair’s Labour government in the mid-2000s, and note a major negative change after 2010 when the coalition government began widespread cuts.

Advocating for Autism within hospital care (11:37)

The story teller describes their autistic brother’s stressful A&E and two-month hospital stay, where noise, lights, and crowds triggered meltdowns and staff initially lacked autism awareness.

After advocacy, he was placed in a dark, quiet side room with controllable light and sound, which stabilized him, and staff learned to make reasonable adjustments (including limiting the number of clinicians during rounds). Learning disability nurses helped but were unavailable overnight, leading to more problems.

Discharge was delayed because no rehab facility would accept him due to perceived “aggressive” behavior and understaffing.

Her brother had to self-discharged home with OT adaptations and short-term family support.

An event I wasn’t expecting to be part of! (5:53)

Jack talks about the human to human contact, and being able to have conversations with people that he has never been able to have before.

Jack came away feeling that he had had many conversations that day where he felt listened to, and not having had to fit someone else’s agenda.

Jack wanted to support peoples understanding of autism on the day, most memorably was a conversations about the low numbers of people with autism in the workplace, the barriers and for those people to openly admit they need help to change things and make the workplace more accessible for people with autism.