Red Cross volunteers are normally associated with kind-hearted people dispensing food and medical aid to people caught up in war zones or environmental disasters. But due to the ongoing uncertainty over Covid-19, an army of Irish Red Cross volunteers are now providing so-called ‘Psychological First Aid’ to reach out to those afflicted by stress, anxiety and other negative impacts of the pandemic on their mental health. So to counter such fears, Gerry and his team of volunteers have been trained in the ‘three L’s – Look, Listen and Link – he said. He urges anyone who is experiencing distress over the pandemic to contact their local Red Cross office to hook up with a volunteer who can help talk them through it, he said. Aiden Lonergan, National Community Support Officer for the Irish Red Cross said: “During times of crisis people can be impacted psychologically and emotionally, as well as physically.

Source: Irish Independent October 08, 2020 20:13 UTC