Mental Health Awareness and National Loneliness Awareness Weeks have come and gone but the increasing number of people suffering with their mental health doesn’t go away.
One in four people in this country will experience mental health problems of some kind each year. One is six people will report experiencing common mental health problems like anxiety and depression in any given week. Our physical and mental health are inextricably linked and people living with a long-term physical condition are seven times more likely to experience depression than those without a long-term condition (World Health Survey, 2007). The long term effects of mental ill health can lead to the risk of social isolation, low self-esteem, stigma and discrimination. Without being managed, these can lead to chronic and irreversible conditions; even suicide. We are still living with a huge stigma attached to mental ill health, which considering it has touched many of our lives, is rather difficult to believe.
Our Special Friends believe in the power of animal companionship and we strive to help people who are struggling by offering animal companionship support services. Whether by helping someone maintain contact with their own pet or by introducing a new special friend into their lives. We have the evidence to prove that by doing so, we can provide the vital link which can help them to get through a difficult time.
“Our Special Friends has changed my life. I have improved greatly since receiving their help. They were so understanding and being confined indoors, showed me I was a human being.”
“Our Special Friends played a key part in my welcoming a dog to our home, we having lost ours to a premature death. She has filled a gap in our lives and is a quiet and gentle new friend to my wife and myself.”
“Our Special Friends reassured me that everything will be ok with my sick two year old companion. I am an unwell military veteran who relies on my dog for comfort and reassurance as well as safety. I have benefited by Our Special Friends significantly, and I would definitely recommend them to others.”
Please help us continue to help more people like this.
