Isolation as a disabled person

catsarefluffy

It's hard to feel connected when I'm pretty much housebound. I'm hoping joining the scope community can change this

Rosie_Scope

Hi @catsarefluffy, welcome to to the community. It can be so lonely being housebound. Can you cope with visitors at all? I hope the community can help you feel more connected with others ☺️

We've got lots of chats to join in with all over, but people often find the Coffee Lounge can be a good place to start.

Do you have any cats yourself, or are you just a cat fan? We've got a discussion about Pets with tons of pictures of people's cats and dogs in case that's of interest to you!

Or you might like to join in with our general chat where we share how our days are going. There's lots of nice members around so I hope you'll find the community a friendly and welcoming place.

MissMarple

Hello @catsarefluffy I love your username 😀 I'm housebound too. It can be pretty isolating. I take virtual trips. Feel free to join in. I have no idea how to make tidy links like @Rosie_Scope 's but here's the discussion

https://forum.scope.org.uk/discussion/143698/virtual-outings

catsarefluffy

@Rosie_Scope oh that's true. Maybe I can try to get people to visit. Thanks for the signposting within this community

MissMarple

I don't know how much you miss human company and if you could cope with strangers visiting. Just saying that there are options, if you choose to explore them, beyond friends and family visits. E.g. in my area there's a befriending service where volunteers visit or call housebound people regularly. Similarly, volunteers from the local library deliver books. They may stay for a cup of tea and a chat. Some clubs have online meetings. Your local council's directory may give you some ideas. There are some volunteer roles that, your condition and energy permitting, you can do from home (e.g. becoming a pen pal or fostering cats). There are ways to feel less isolated and more part of the world, though it takes energy (which one might lack) and a bit of creativity.

I find the Scope forum good as it's not that busy, and I can usually dip in and out depending on my energy levels, without missing out on hundreds of comments.

catsarefluffy

@MissMarple I actually had no idea befriending services could include home visits. I thought it was just over the phone. Very interesting