CouncilMental health
Mental health problems can affect us all at some point in our lives. We all have times when we feel stress, anxiety, depression and emotional distress. It is said that one in four people will suffer from some form of mental illness in their lives.
Usually these periods are short and we recover without outside help. But sometimes these reactions can become prolonged and unusually intense, which may affect our ability to cope with the demands of everyday life.
Mental health issues can involve a range of conditions from anxiety and phobias to manic depression and schizophrenia.
Tower Hamlets Social Services and the East London and The City Mental Health Trust run a joint resource for Tower Hamlets residents aged 65 and over. This service is called the Community Mental Health Team.
The team provides care and treatment for older people who are troubled by severe mental health problems or dementia. The team also aims to provide support and information for their carers.
It is made up of social workers, community mental health nurses, doctors, psychologists, occupational therapists and bi-lingual support workers.
They help people to live at home by providing mental health care and treatment and by arranging home day care and respite care, when needed.
The team also tries to ensure appropriate hospital care, residential care and nursing home care is provided.
Those needing such support can access the service in a number of ways:
- Your GP can refer you
- Other services, for example a district nurse, social worker, Age Concern can refer
- You can get in touch with us yourself by phoning the access team on 020 7364 3838 or write to The Access Team, Tower Hamlets Social Services, 2 Jubilee Street, London E1 3NT.
