Just Relax was the title of a project, funded by the Big Lottery, and run by Age Concern Liverpool & Sefton in conjunction with A Quiet Place.
A Quiet Place designed a bespoke training package, unique to the needs of Age Concern Liverpool & Sefton, and providing ongoing support for the staff who undertook the training. The staff were provided with a comprehensive introduction, over a number of sessions, to a variety of relaxation techniques including mindfulness, breathing techniques, bio-feedback (using HeartMath hardware and software) and hand massage.
Eleven months on, the project has been a great success. The results we achieved have been written up into a report which is available to read here.
The report shows that not only did all the different types of older people we worked with benefit from the relaxation techniques, but the greatest benefit was experienced by older people in a nursing home who had severe functional mental illness. Staff who used the techniques benefitted too – feeling more relaxed and in control thanbefore. In fact, the results have been so positive that we think it would be wrong to keep it a secret.
Age Concern Liverpool & Sefton with A Quiet Place were delighted to launch our first 1 day workshop in April 2016, which provided a solid introduction to the basic techniques of relaxation. We invited professionals who work with people of any age who are prone to anxiety or stress, people with mental health issues, people with chronic pain or dementia. The workshop was also suitable for people who want to enhance their CV or were thinking of a career in alternative therapies.
Follow up courses will be available later in the year for those people who want to go deeper than the basics techniques. The workshop tutor is Penny Moon, the CEO of A Quiet Place. With nearly three decades of experience, Penny developed the foundations of A Quiet Place whilst working within a number of mainstream schools across the UK and Channel Islands. She is also an accomplished author and has worked on a number of resources for adults and children, relaxation CDs and academic literature.
