Age UK

Opening up about your mental health can feel extremely daunting, but we are here to support you on your journey to better mental wellbeing and physical health.

Waiting for therapy to help you cope with your emotions and feelings can sometimes feel like a long road. That’s why, to help you feel connected and get some extra support when waiting for therapy, Kent and Medway Talking Therapies have partnered with Age UK.

If you’re aged 55 or over and on our waiting list to access a talking therapy, you can receive a free weekly telephone call from Age UK. It’s a simple way to have regular contact with someone and check in about your mental wellbeing and physical health, while you wait for therapy.

Regardless of whether you are feeling anxious, exhausted, lonely or stressed, you are not alone. Later life can bring change in the form of retirement, loss and bereavement, health concerns and shifting roles in the family, all of which can be difficult to comprehend and deal with.

At Kent and Medway Talking Therapies, we understand that having some extra support when waiting for therapy can help improve your mood and make you feel connected to others. Our partnership with Age UK means that, as part of our mental health support for older adults, you can access a mental health check in on a weekly basis, where you can talk about how you’re feeling.

Once you’ve completed a self-referral to our service via our online referral assistant or have been referred by a GP or other healthcare professional, and are waiting to begin your talking therapy, you can access our weekly mental health check in service from Age UK.

You can also access mental health support when waiting for therapy through our mental health webinars and making sure you understand what happens next. You can also create your own mind plan, with actionable tips from mental health experts to help you deal with anxiety and stress, sleep better and feel more in control of your emotions.

What are talking therapies?

NHS talking therapies are a confidential and effective treatment for many mental health issues and are delivered by trained and accredited NHS practitioners.

You may wonder if you are ‘unwell enough’ to access a talking therapy or be seeking stress busting tips to make your daily life feel more manageable; every emotion and feeling you experience is important, and with our trained therapists, you can understand how to better cope with them.

As you get older, your mental wellbeing may decrease. You may begin to feel anxious about the future or lonely because you can no longer do the things you once did. Maybe you have a long-term condition and are feeling exhausted or overwhelmed as a result of your treatment. Shifts in your family life may leave you feeling stressed or dealing with loss and bereavement of friends, family and other loved ones may leave you feeling low.

All of these feelings are valid and you can receive mental health support to help you deal with your emotions and prevent other mental health conditions like depression and anxiety.

What mental health support can we provide?

Looking after your mind matters.

Receiving mental health support can be a crucial first step on your journey to better mental health and physical health. After completing mental health assessments, our team of friendly therapists at Kent and Medway Talking Therapies can provide you with the best support to help you cope with your feelings.

Getting support may take some time, but once you are on our waiting list to receive mental health support for older adults, you are eligible to receive a weekly telephone call from a friendly member of the Age UK team, as part of our partnership.

No matter how you are feeling, we offer a range of services to help you at NHS Kent and Medway Talking Therapies to ensure you feel supported on your journey. Our talking therapies include:

• Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT): this talking therapy can help you cope with problems that feel overwhelming by breaking them down into more manageable parts and can help you change negative thought patterns to improve the way you feel.
• Counselling for Depression: this talking therapy looks at the emotional problems underlying depression – like loss, divorce, health-related issues or other significant life-changing events – and help you manage them by developing new coping mechanisms
• Digital Talking Therapies: this type of talking therapy can be offered as supported online therapy or webinars, and delivered in a group or individual face-to-face setting, on an online video call, using a secure typed text-based digital platform or via a webinar.
• Interpersonal Therapy: this talking therapy looks at why you might be feeling sad or depressed about past and current relationships while discussing your feelings on conflict, how you deal with life adjustments that might affect relationships and how you can start and maintain healthy relationships.

For those who need it, we can also offer employment support if you are experiencing difficulties at work or with employment because of your mental health.

Since our Age UK mental health check in telephone calls are offered before you begin your talking therapy service with us, you have the opportunity to talk about your feelings or just everyday life, but you can also share your thoughts about beginning therapy. We understand that it can be a daunting time to begin talking to someone new about how you’re feeling, but it’s also an important step on your journey to better mental health. By chatting with a friendly member of the Age UK team before you begin cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT), counselling for depression or another type of talking therapy, you can feel more connected and supported while you wait.

What can you expect from an Age UK mental health check in?

A weekly mental health check-in from Age UK can provide you an extra layer of support whilst you wait to begin your talking therapy. You will talk to the same member of the Age UK team each week and the call can be used to discuss how you are feeling in regard to your mental health or simply about everyday life.

From an Age UK mental health check-in call, you can expect:

• A weekly call at a time that suits you
• A friendly voice offering company and conversation
• A safe space to share how you’re feeling or to chat about everyday life

These mental health check-in calls aren’t a replacement for therapy, but they can help you feel more connected and supported while you wait.

You may be feeling anxious, lonely or stressed, and these regular mental health check in calls can make a big difference to your daily life. They can help reduce feelings of isolation, boos your confidence and remind you that you don’t have to manage everything on your own.

At Kent and Medway Talking Therapies, and in partnership with Age UK, we are here for you.

How can you access weekly Age UK mental health check in calls?

To access and receive a weekly mental health check in call from Age UK, you’ll need to self-refer to NHS Kent and Medway Talking Therapies first. You can self-refer by:

• Using Limbic, our online referral assistant
• Completing our online referral form through a GP or healthcare professional
• Calling us on 0333 091 0414

Once you have made a referral to our service, you will be able to access a weekly Age UK mental health check in call.

If you’d like support with your self-referral, Age UK can help. There are four Age UK partners in the Kent and Medway region:

Age UK Thanet

• info@ageukthanet.org.uk
• 01843 223881

Age UK Kent Rivers

• iaenquiry@ageukkentrivers.org.uk
• 01634 572616

Age UK Maidstone, Sevenoaks and Tonbridge

• info@ageukmst.org.uk
• 01622 753618

Age UK Hythe, Lyminge & Ashford

• admin@ageukhla.org.uk
• 01303 269602