Covid-19 update

The current health crisis has affected The Cheer Up Squad greatly. Though far from our only one, the main service The Cheer Up Squad is famous for is our visiting cheer-up service. Unfortunately, this service has been on pause for over a year already, due to being incompatible with social distancing. Throughout that time, though, we have been working to ensure our beneficiaries are not forgotten. Some new Covid-safe initiatives have been carried out successfully, some are in progress, and some new ones are still in the planning stages.

 

Since Covid we have come up with a comprehensive list of initiatives that would help our beneficiaries by keeping them entertained, alleviating mental stress, and reducing boredom and social isolation. Many of these have actually been suggested multiple times by users, making us confident that these are much-needed, and will truly make a difference.

Expanded DVD Collection
Our lending library has greatly increased in use due to the pandemic, a spike which we think will last for the foreseeable future. Patients are using this service for entertainment during long, tedious hospitalisations or home-recovery periods. For many, it is the only thing that breaks up the monotony of their illness. We constantly restock and expand our collection with the latest releases to suit every style and need.
iPad-lending Service
We know that patients in hospitals are suffering from social isolation and melancholy due to the reduction in visitors and support, which leads to physical and emotional regression. We have purchased several iPads to transform this (and plan to purchase more). By lending them out to seriously-ill patients we allow them to connect and communicate with family and friends, as well as access entertainment. The tablets are loaded with apps such as Zoom and Gmail, as well as games, and videos we will upload (with permission). They are heavily filtered to allow our users maximum benefit, without infringing on our community’s religious principles.
Therapy Program
A preliminary investigation revealed that there is massive demand for The Cheer Up Squad to run such a project, especially with the detrimental effect the coronavirus has had on people already struggling with mental health challenges. We already have started with several participants and have seen success.
Long Distance/Garden visits
The benefit of a visit to an unwell patient is inconceivable. Realising the importance of this, Mr Gluck the head director, arranged various zoom ‘visits’ and garden visits, constantly adhering to government guidelines. The feedback was amazing as patients were entertained and able to take their mind off their pain.
Toy vouchers
The Cheer-Up Squad distributed 100+ toy vouchers to local toy/book stores so that patients and their families could pick out various toys and entertainment, cheering them up and relieving their boredom. They were received enthusiastically and were a major success.