The current Covid-19 pandemic means that we are currently unable to leave our homes unless it is essential to do so, such as for work, exercise, shopping for essential items or for medical reasons. And for the most vulnerable in our society who fall into the high-risk category - which includes many of our clients - the government advice is to remain completely housebound.

As such, daily routines have been disrupted across the country and many people are separated from family and friends, yet there are still ways to stay active - physically, mentally and socially - during the UK-wide lockdown. We have pulled together some information and links to websites providing support, ideas for at home activities and exercise for people of varying ability, as well as ways to connect with others during this period of self-isolation. We hope you will find the following guide useful!

General information & support links

General up to date information and Government advice relating to coronavirus can be found here: https://www.gov.uk/coronavirus

The Government has set up a site where people with a medical condition making them extremely vulnerable to coronavirus can register and ask for help getting deliveries of essential supplies such as food: https://www.gov.uk/coronavirus-extremely-vulnerable

Electricity North West have launched a Priority Service aimed at those in the community that may be classed as vulnerable and would require extra support in the event of a power cut. If your power supply is within the remit of Electricity North West and you think would benefit from this service, please visit their website to register as a ‘Priority Customer’: www.enwl.co.uk/priority

The World Health Organisation has a dedicated page providing up to date information which can be found here: https://www.who.int/emergencies/diseases/novel-coronavirus-2019

Support for brain injury survivors

Headway – the brain injury association has several useful pages on their website...

• General information on how the charity can help brain injury survivors during the pandemic: https://www.headway.org.uk/news-and-campaigns/news/2020/coronavirus-and-brain-injury-we-re-here-for-you/
• Perhaps you can no longer attend your support group or meet friends for coffee, but you can still connect with others in many ways online - the Headway HealthUnlocked forum provides a safe space for brain injury survivors and their loved ones to ask questions and seek support: https://healthunlocked.com/headway
• With the above in mind, the charity have also shared their top tips on staying safe online: https://www.headway.org.uk/about-brain-injury/individuals/brain-injury-and-me/top-10-tips-for-staying-safe-online/

The Brain Charity’s services team will be available by phone or email if you need any help, please contact 0151 298 2999 or info@thebraincharity.org.uk. More information via The Brain Charity's website.

Brain & Spinal Injury Charity Basic are available to help and support you through this challenging time. Their team is working from home and will be available between 10 am - 5 pm Monday to Friday. You can find out more here.

Support for survivors of spinal cord injury

Spinal Injury Association - SIA is re-deploying elements of its specialist nursing, peer support network and advocacy teams to offer telephone, email and on-line expertise to support all SCI people who have concerns related to their spinal cord injury because of the impact of the coronavirus. Useful articles on SIA’s website include a piece from SCI Nurse Specialist Debbie Green which provides advice when currently preparing for a hospital admission to a district general hospital; and a SCI Health & Care Intervention form – a self-filled form to ensure you receive the right care if admitted to hospital: https://www.spinal.co.uk/learn/coronavirus/

Back Up charity provide services for young people affected by spinal cord injury. The charity’s telephone support & phone mentoring service is still available to people with spinal cord injury and their families. For parents of children with a spinal cord injury wondering what to do now if their children can’t go into school, the charity’s specialist education advice service is available and its staff are also on hand to provide vocational support for those working from home or thinking about going back to work.

You can contact Back Up on 020 8875 1805 or see their website for further information: https://www.backuptrust.org.uk/news/important-information-about-coronavirus-and-our-services

Support for amputees

Prosthetics designer and manufacturer Blatchfords has a dedicated page of information for amputees during the coronavirus on their website: https://www.blatchford.co.uk/coronavirus-advice-for-amputees/

The Limbless Association’s Support & Connect Hub is closed, however you can still contact their helpline for support on 0800 644 0185.

Staying active at home

Sport England have plenty of useful ideas when it comes to exercising at home, and have launched a #StayInWorkOut campaign to help the nation stay active during the lockdown: https://www.sportengland.org/stayinworkout/

Cerebral Palsy Sport will also be publishing its own Health and Wellbeing content to support the cp and wider community as part of this movement. Look out for that soon in their resources pages.

Adaptive Yoga with WheelPower is a great activity for wheelchair users to try out at home: https://www.wheelpower.org.uk/resources/adaptiveyoga

The World Athletics Organisation have put together some “lockdown exercises” to keep you fit and focused: https://www.worldathletics.org/be-active/lifestyle/lockdown-exercises

Home exercises for lower limb amputees from Live Strong: https://www.livestrong.com/article/133226-home-exercises-lower-extremity-amputees/

UK Scouts has some very handy activities and games for the family to enjoy indoors: https://www.scouts.org.uk/the-great-indoors

Taking care of your mental health & keeping connected

Information and support from mental health charity Mind: https://www.mind.org.uk/information-support/coronavirus-and-your-wellbeing/

Information and support from the Mental Health Foundation:  https://www.mentalhealth.org.uk/publications/looking-after-your-mental-health-during-coronavirus-outbreak

There are numerous video calling platforms available that can give you and your loved ones some such needed face-to-face contact, with Facetime and Skype being two of the main contenders.

The team at House Memories - a museum-led dementia awareness programme which offers training, access to resources, and activities to enable carers to provide person-centred care for people living with dementia - have launched an app created by and for people living with dementia. It can be used by anyone and is especially good for young people and elders who are separated at this time. It is a free to download here: https://houseofmemories.co.uk/things-to-do/my-house-of-memories-app/