Elderly residents have taken home free care packs created by two Manx mental health professionals to help them during the pandemic.

Face masks, chocolates, puzzles and helpful information on who to call when struggling with isolation were just some of the items in the 50 bags dropped off to the Ellan Vannin Fuels petrol station on Alexander Drive in Douglas.

The two women behind the idea to support those of retirement age were Laura Matthews of Peel and Alyssa Isaac of Onchan.

’As mental health professionals we’re always thinking about the impact that this situation is going to have on people,’ said Laura.

’Self-isolation, as we know, causes low-mood anxiety. Therefore we wanted to see if there was anything we could do to help in the situation.

’We knew that people in the over-70 age bracket are less likely to be able to get out as often and don’t have a lot of access to social media where everything is being posted at the moment. Generally, anyone who is struggling can go on the internet and look up the Samaritans number.’

The two friends decided a care pack would be the best option to get all the necessary information together with the addition of self-care perks such as sachets of hot chocolate.

Other items include colouring books for adults, crosswords, suggestions on what to read or watch, Spike Milligan’s poem ’Smiling is Infectious’ as well as information on how to manage anxiety and contact details for emotional support charity Samaritans, which can be reached on 116 123 or 0330 094 5717.

Laura was made aware of the elderly hour at EVF because of a family connection.

The care packs, which were funded by the pair, got a boost from people who donated money to EVF to help the elderly and those struggling. This helped fund soap, handwash, toilet paper and more chocolate for the packs.

’It makes me feel better knowing that they are able to access help if they need to,’ Laura added.