Social prescription is the new buzzword on the street, and even the Department of Health is jumping on the bandwagon with a new program titled ‘Local Connections.’
The new initiative offers a non-clinical approach to those with mental health conditions, and is currently being trialled as a legitimate treatment strategy at six Local Services, including Whittlesea’s wellbeing hub Neami.
With almost one in seven Australians stating that they experienced feelings of loneliness in 2022 and the World Health Organisation (WHO) declaring loneliness to be a ‘global health threat’, social isolation is the new epidemic.
The WHO stated that the effects of loneliness are comparable to ‘smoking up to 15 cigarettes a day’, and include premature death, poor physical and mental health, greater psychological distress, and general dissatisfaction with life.
Treating loneliness at its root, the new initiative aims to engage participants in community-based activities such as art, music, nature, and exercise to help reduce experiences of social isolation and improve mental health.
Available to those aged 26 and above, any person receiving care and support from Neami can access the trial through referral or self-referral.
