In the painting workshop, Gino uses colors confidently and without saving, almost exaggeratedly. Also sprinkling his face, hands and arms, which he uses as an extension of the sheet of paper.
Even his debut in the theater laboratory leaves us amazed. The choice of songs to perform during the rehearsals reflects the depth of his inner world: he interacts with the other participants and volunteers, as if they had always been artistic colleagues, and immediately establishes a particular relationship of trust with the director.
Gino is 38 years old. Two years ago, the operators of the Mental Health Centre, who follow him in his therapeutic-rehabilitative journey, advised him to attend the activities organized by the Di Liegro Foundation.
As mentioned, Gino immediately demonstrates a natural predisposition in using artistic language. Attentive, participate assiduously in everything that happens. His enthusiasm is uncontainable, contagious, so much so that it has become a catalyst for the group.
Gino is an affectionate person and his emotions are explosive: the kisses and hugs he gives when we meet make what he feels physical and tangible.
But the enthusiasm in being together has, on the flip side, a strong sense of loneliness. And when G. finds himself at home alone, bad mood and bad thoughts risk taking over.
The Di Liegro Foundation is a place of relationships and exchange for all the people who frequent it. Weekly meetings for laboratories, the training courses oi self-help groups they are fixed appointments; and for some participants the Foundation has become a point of reference, one of the few together with the health service and the family.
The suspension of in-person activities, with the closure of the headquarters during the pandemic for COVID-19, represented an important change for everyone: the lack of a meeting place was strong.
For some, more than others, the interruption of meetings and the impossibility of meeting in person and greeting each other with a kiss and a hug were an unexpected event, which shook a fragile balance.
This is exactly what happened to Gino.
Gino, more than his other course colleagues, was affected by the lockdown and the lack of those moments, developing acute manifestations of intolerance and depressive crises during the pandemic. And if in the first days the telephone contact allowed him to contain his discomfort to some extent, as the quarantine and isolation continued it was no longer sufficient.
Gino. he could no longer bear his anguish and called the Foundation workers saying that he was very ill and that he feared he wouldn't be able to make it. From now on. he was first admitted to an emergency service and then to a residential facility.
During the quarantine period, the Foundation's main objective was to remain in contact with its community of users, volunteers and families and to guarantee a listening and support service to citizens through the SOSS Mental Health Orientation and Social Support Service.
Since the first days of the pandemic we have established telephone appointments to monitor the effects that the emergency situation and imposed isolation was having on the most fragile people. Loneliness and the suspension of one routine, as well as more frequent attendance of mental health services, has been destabilizing for users and family members in particular.
The use of digital devices has been of great help to us in maintaining contact with participants, family members and volunteers, since we almost immediately moved the appointments of our activities onto digital platforms and most people, having a smartphone or a PC, participated in the appointments. When this was not possible, we maintained "analog" contact through telephone calls.
The online meetings gave the possibility, even if mediated by a screen, to see and talk to each other and to continue the laboratory activities.
This is what also happened with G., with whom we managed to stay in contact during all phases of his hospitalization, both in the hospital and in the residential facility, managing to involve him in the new digital appointments.
This new mode represented a challenge for all of us, a challenge which however was an opportunity for many to experiment with something new, acquiring familiarity with these means and new technological skills. Operators and volunteers have also reinvented themselves, using new ways to stay in touch and support users even remotely.
Today Gino is a little better. Every day he calls us to update us on his health and the question that always ends his phone calls is: “When do the laboratories resume? I miss them, I miss you!”.
For the Foundation, these months of the pandemic have been one stimulus to make people feel that the community we are part of continued to be present next to them and it showed us that, sometimes, a limit like online meetings can turn into an unexpected opportunity.
