Local Connections – a social prescribing initiative

A man is leaning against his patio frame, staring out to his backyard. Birds are chirping in the background.

Text appears on screen in the bottom left corner and reads: “Errol, Wangaratta”.

Errol: I went through a scenario last year where I was having a lot of health issues. In fact, I had 15 visits to hospital last year. This was impacting my mental health as well as my physical health.

Errol is now sitting at his dining table, scrolling on his phone and sipping his hot cup of tea.

Errol: I was lonely, and I felt it a little bit difficult to get back into a circle of friends.

Errol’s pet dog comes up to him while he is at the dining table. Errol puts his phone down to pat his dog.

Errol: I started to get on the slide and started to slip down the path of despair and anxiety and depression, you know.

Errol is sitting down on a chair in the middle of a living room; he is talking to someone just off camera.

Errol: I needed the support. I really did need people putting their arms around me. And I got it.

The footage shows the front of Errol’s home from out on the street. A man walks into the front yard towards the front door.

Text appears on screen and reads: “Errol’s doctors referred him to the Local connections program for more support. That’s when he met his link worker Yair”.

Errol opens his front door to greet Yair. The two shake hands.

Errol:The relationship you have with a link worker is in a lot of ways different to the GP.

Errol welcomes Yair inside his home, and Yair closes the door behind him. The two of them walk down the hallway towards the camera.

Errol: So, your GP obviously is there to give you medications and advice around your health. With the link workers, it's more around you've got more time.

Errol and Yair are seated at the dining table chatting and sipping their hot cups of tea.

Errol: My Link Worker Yair, I catch up to him regularly for just a coffee session to talk about how I'm going.

Yair: Errol started in a very, very low point in their life. But as he gained confidence and started to feel better, he actually expressed great desire to start connecting with people.

Yair is sitting down on a chair in the middle of a classroom; he is talking to someone just off camera.

Text appears on screen in the bottom left corner and reads: “Yair, Link Worker”.

Yair: Because it's actually in his character to be community oriented.

Errol is walking along the street and turns left into the front garden of the Open Door Neighbourhood House.

Yair: So, then we decided that that's the moment that we can start connecting him to programs like Open House, where he can start volunteering, which he does to this day.

Errol is walking through the side entrance to the Neighbourhood House. Text appears on screen and reads: “Local Connections connects you with activities in your local community to build strong social connections and a sense of belonging”.

Errol waves to his fellow volunteer from the side window.

Errol: I thoroughly enjoy what I’m doing at the neighbourhood house. That, without a doubt, would be the jewel in my crown. Because it gives me so much.

Errol is working in the Neighbourhood House kitchen with his fellow volunteers to prepare food packages for the local community.

Errol: There’s no hierarchy in the group at the Neighbourhood House. We're all in it together. Being part of the community, it's given me a lot more than what I actually thought it would.

Errol is pushing a trolley full of food supplies from the kitchen to front foyer of the Neighbourhood House ready for packaging.

Errol: And the Local Connections, it's been a really, really big part of that.

Yair is sitting down on a chair in the middle of a classroom; he is talking to someone just off camera.

Yair: So he basically went from somebody who was pretty much isolated, depressed and really, really challenged to somebody who is flourishing.

A montage of Errol’s is playing with his dog and doing chores in the backyard.

Errol: It is a little bit like a tidal wave. Some days you do come down. And when you have your down time, to know that you've got the ability to call somebody and say, look, I'm not feeling the best today. I'm a little bit“dada” you know, things aren’t right.

A montage of Errol packaging food, Errol showing Yair his artwork, and then both Errol and Yair walking down the street at dusk with Errol’s dog walking in front on a leash.

Errol: The Local Connections program, it's given me a reason to get out of bed in the morning and go and do things, and grow even stronger and stronger. I think I've got a lot to offer. I just need to find what that is, and then go and do it and help. I’m not finished yet. The journey’s still going. I've still got a long way to go.

Errol is sitting down on a chair in the middle of a living room; he is talking to someone just off camera.

Errol: But I can be alone and not be lonely anymore. And that's a real positive thing.

The screen goes white, text appears and reads: “Local Connections provides free and confidential support to adults 26 or older, without the need for a Medicare card or referral”. The text then fades.

New text appears on the same white screen and reads: “To learn more about Local Connections, visit betterhealth.vic.gov.au/local-connections”. Video ends.