Podcast on Prescription -S2-EP3- Christmas Special Loneliness
- S2E4
- 40:52
- December 16th 2021
This week Dr. Radha will discuss loneliness with our guests on this Christmas special episode of Podcast on Prescription.
Christmas can be a happy time for some surrounded by family and friends. For others it is not, often exacerbating feelings of loneliness. Our host and guests will discuss the impact that loneliness can have on our mental and physical health and how social prescribing can help alleviate these feelings.
Our first guest, Tracey Crouch has been the MP for Chatham and Aylesford since 2010; she became the country's first Minister for Loneliness in 2018. Tracey is a practitioner of mindfulness and was one of the early members of the cross-party parliamentary mindfulness group and an advocate of the benefits of nature to wellbeing
Our second guest is the National Academy for Social Prescribing Chief Executive James Sanderson. James is also Director of the Personalised Care Group at NHS England and NHS Improvement, where he leads on a range of programmes that are supporting people to have greater choice and control over their health and wellbeing
Dame Esther Rantzen DBE is our third guest; her career spans several decades in broadcasting television and radio. Amongst her many accomplishments, in 2012 she invented The Silver Line, a helpline for older people of which she is President, and which has merged with Age UK.
Finally, Dr. Radha will chat with Ruth and Neil Hannah from Musical Memories. Musical Memories was established in 2016 as a not-for-profit organization created to give older people the opportunity to sing together and enjoy each other’s company with the aim of combatting social isolation and loneliness and thereby improving health and wellbeing.
Podcast on Prescription
Welcome to Podcast on Prescription, brought to you by Dr Radha Modgil and the National Academy for Social Prescribing
We want people to be able to live their best possible life. Social prescribing helps people to do this. When you hear the word ‘prescription’ you might automatically think of tablets, pills and medication, but a ‘social prescription’ is different.
So, what is social prescribing? Well, simply put, social prescribing is a way for health professionals, such as social prescribing link workers based in a GP practice, to connect people to activities in the community for practical and emotional support. It helps people gain choice and control over their wellbeing, to manage their needs and in a way that suits them.
It can especially help people who have long-term conditions, need support with their mental health, are lonely or isolated or have complex social needs. Social Prescribing is now being offered across the NHS in England and there is a growing movement both here and internationally embracing the benefits.
And in this podcast, we are going to explore more about the power of all of these activities: that 'social prescription’ that helps people through.
Visit https://socialprescribingacademy.org.uk/ to find out more.
The content of this podcast is not intended to be a substitution for professional medical advice. Always seek the advice of your GP or other qualified healthcare professional with any questions you may have regarding a medical condition, diagnosis or treatment. Never ignore professional medical advice or delay obtaining such advice because of something contained on this podcast.