At Westleigh Dental Care we care about our patients, and we recognise the importance of being healthy not only in body but also in mind.  When we are feeling happy, we often take better care of ourselves which in turn creates a stronger immune system and promotes our overall health.

We recognise that sometimes our patients can be lonely, and we want to be able to offer support with that.  Loneliness has no one cause and can happen for lots of reasons.  For our older patients, it can be the loss of a partner or friend.  Our younger patients can be surrounded by people yet still feel alone. Many of us will experience loneliness at some point in our lives and how we experience loneliness will be different for all of us. 

Here are some things you can do to help you feel less lonely.

  • Keep in touch with people.  Whether that’s picking up the phone, sending a message on WhatsApp or meeting up for a cup of coffee.  Making it routine to check in with others will help you feel less lonely and potentially offer support to others who may be feeling lonely too.
  • Join a group.  Look at your interests and see if there’s a group you could go to.  This could be in person or online.  Activities that are physically active will also boost your feel-good hormones.  Although joining a group may feel daunting at first remember all the people who are there were new one point.
  • Take part in activities you enjoy such as walking in the fresh air or watching funny programs on the television.
  • Share how you feel with someone who cares but avoids comparing your life with others.  We are all on our own journeys with our own ups and downs.
  • Volunteering can be a great way to meet people, plus you get a boost in knowing that you are helping others.  https://www.volunteerfirst.co.uk/ lists lots of volunteering activities in Hampshire.
  • The NHS mental health hub https://www.nhs.uk/mental-health/  has lots of tools to help with low mood including self-assessment quizzes, audio guides and practical tools to help.
  • Take a leaflet from our waiting room if you are elderly or know someone who is.  After a session with a lonely patient, our hygienist, Pavan, put together a leaflet which details activities for our older patients in the Fareham area. We can also post the leaflet for you.

Partnering with local charities

This year we have chosen to partner with two local charities that offer various activities that can combat loneliness for older and younger people.

MHA

MHA is the largest charity care provider in the UK for older people. Their mission is to
inspire the best care and well-being at every stage in later life. Some of the services they
offer here in Fareham and Gosport include:

  • Weekly lunch club with extended activities/entertainment in Gosport.
  • Weekly light lunch and afternoon club with extended activities/entertainment in
  • Gosport.
  • Weekly New Age Kurling Club in Stubbington.
  • 2nd & 4th Tuesday Variety Club with activities, talks and entertainment.
  • 1st & 3rd Tuesday Skittle Club in Fareham Town Centre.
  • Just Crafting Around weekly craft club in Locks Heath, Fareham.
  • Monthly social outings – pub lunches and assisted shopping.
  • One-to-one befriending service.

More information can be found on their website.
https://www.mha.org.uk/communities/near-me/gosport-fareham

Y Services

Y Services are a local charity that supports, develops and delivers quality youth work for young
people in the area. They offer a wide range of activities and youth clubs across Fareham,
Gosport and the Western wards. Below are just some of the services they offer.

Y music projects

Y Music Projects work with young musicians both in junior and secondary settings to make
music. Most of the participants have little or no musical experience and so the sessions are a
new and exciting challenge for them.  Music leaders deliver lunchtime sessions, after-school
music clubs and focused small groups or 1-1 sessions.

Jammit is a weekly music drop-in based in Portchester which has attracted a loyal group of
young people who have progressed to performance and recording opportunities as well as
volunteering. The project is attended by young people from across the borough and has
seen young musicians progress from having little or no experience to being confident to perform at
local venues (including paid gigs) and Ferneham Hall.

LGBT

Y Services LGBT+ projects provide a safe, comfortable space where young people who
identify as Lesbian, gay, bi, or trans and who are questioning their sexuality or gender identity
can get to know other young people like themselves. Most importantly Y Services offers a
space in which young people who are LGBT+ can have fun, laugh, be themselves and
embrace their uniqueness. 

Y Play Rangers

Y Play Rangers aim to give children and young people a sense of pride in their community by
offering activities participants can own and control. This gives them a high level of respect for
the area and the people that live there. Y Play Rangers are mobile and work on the open
spaces within the area, bringing ideas and equipment to ensure the children have as much
fun as possible. They help stimulate imagination and create activities that will interest and
motivate different groups.

More information on Y Services can be found at: https://yservices.co.uk/
You can donate to either of the charities whilst you are visiting us at the practice by leaving
a donation in the collection pots in reception.

If you, or someone you know, are feeling lonely, and want to talk further to us, please
get in touch with either Zoe or Paul, and we can direct you further to the services we are
aware of the area.