In a small UK town, a community program has been created to address mental health concerns that are frequently caused by loneliness. Volunteers with dogs often help out.
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00:00Nobody should be left alone. Community is a priority in the small town of Froome in the south of England.
00:07James Lewis and Amy Wood founded the organisation Dogs for Health to help people with mental health problems by bringing them along on walks.
00:16There is so much social isolation in this country that we don't tackle.
00:21Doing it the way we do it with the dogs, it means that the person feels more comfortable.
00:25They don't have to talk to me, they can talk to my dog.
00:28James Lewis has been looking after former soldier Danny Perry for two years now.
00:33After his discharge from military service, Danny suffered from post-traumatic stress disorder and had to be admitted to a psychiatric hospital.
00:42Now he hopes he will soon be able to function without medication altogether.
00:46Being able to talk to James, it's like I've known him for years, it's fantastic.
00:51And the dogs, at the end of the walk, they all want to cuddle as well, which is, it's an amazing feeling.
01:00Dogs for Health is not the only initiative in Froome that provides personal support.
01:05In the so-called men's shed, men can do woodwork side by side, or just come for a chat, like John Caulfield.
01:14After his retirement, the former engineer suffered from depression.
01:19It's relaxed, it's where you can share things if you want to,
01:23and get some quite constructive and helpful feedback and response from people who are perhaps in a similar situation.
01:30It's no longer just a men's shed, anyone can take part for a donation.
01:35There are now around 1,000 initiatives like this in the United Kingdom, and the number is growing.
01:43Some of the areas that we don't work well enough with is younger people and ethnic minorities.
01:48But increasingly, young people are suffering from the same things that everyone else is,
01:53in terms of mental health, in terms of anxiety and depression.
01:57The Froome Medical Centre coordinates everything, with a focus on prevention.
02:02As a doctor, Helen Kingston has observed that many problems arise because patients are lonely.
02:08She's well connected with organisations like the men's shed.
02:12Since the new initiative, hospital emergency admissions have fallen by around 14%.
02:18Sometimes, if you can recognise when people are struggling, and put in some simple measures,
02:25that can turn that situation around from becoming a crisis,
02:30to being something that people are managing day to day, and avoiding admissions.
02:37In Denny Perry's case, his hospital team had put him in touch with Patrick and Dogs for Health.
02:42With success.
02:44I have now got to the stage where I feel confident that I'm in a much better place,
02:49and I've spoken to James at length about helping the charity out.
02:54I'd like to put back now what I have gained out of it, and put back to anybody else that needs it as well.
03:01And people need help everywhere.
03:03Patrick is looking to start a Dogs for Health initiative in the Philippines, and Danny wants to help him.