Bringing people together 24/7 through a Digital presence
In adition to the Ranger Stations as the center of the community all children have smart phones that we can use to reinforcethe commuity. We want to provide them with help wherever they are. This channel needs to be used to its full and our plan is to develop these applications to help stay in contact with them 24/7. These apps have been shown to help with attendance and involvement.
One of our core applications will be mental health and support called Anna designed to help them through their challenges every day. A Ranger community app will also ensure they always feel part of the Ranger Station and the other Rangers. It provides the channel for them to get support 24/7. In addition Ranger games linked to their activities at the Ranger Station will help maintain their interest and involved
Who is Anna? This is the start of a Wellness Revolution
Emotional Coping Strategies Application
Every person needs someone to turn to when life is hard. Imagine having a friend who is always there for you when you are feeling sad, stressed out or struggling to cope with whatever situation you find yourself in. For instance, many staff in the NHS and medical services throughout the world are facing horrific situations everyday with COVID-19 and having to take the anxiety and anguish of patients and relatives. Millions of people are today suffering from anxiety from losing their jobs and livelihood. We are all human.
This friend helps you deal with your emotions - so you can deal with your problems - and then helps you to better understand yourself. And this friend is so committed that wherever you are, whatever time you need help they are always on the other end of the phone.
Now Imagine This Friend is Anna - The Smart Phone Application.
The idea is Simple: to take cutting edge techniques and make them accessible to anyone who is experiencing emotional difficulties or would like to understand themselves better. The idea is to have a right to the point advice in your pocket for when you need it most. So whether you are going through - Anna is there, and Anna can help with proven scientific methods.
Anna is Intelligent: Anna guides you through thinking about your own thinking patterns and asks you the questions that really matter so you can better understand yourself. Most people have fixed ways of thinking which directly affects their behaviour and thus, the situation. Anna gives you exit strategies to stop these patterns and when you are in crisis - she reminds you of the ones that suit you best. Anna is a sounding board to help you help yourself and maintain emotional and mental wellness. Overtime the plan is to use AI.
Anna is a Teacher: Anna gives you the skills to be able to help your wellbeing even when you do not have the app. Anna will prove to individuals that mental wellness matters and affects people on a day-to-day level.
The Value of Anna: When we are in need and feel at our lowest ebb what is the value of a friend that helps us get out from our problems. Imagine the impact of millions of healthcare workers, millions of people that have lost their jobs and financial wellbeing. desperate to find a way out if only they could manage their anxiety. The value is enormous.
WHAT ANNA IS NOT?
Anna is not a replacement for mental health
services and so is not targeted at people who are mentally unwell or disturbed. Anna is supports people achieve emotional and mental wellness to prevent people becoming unwell or improving their current performance. Anna cannot make people feel better without investment from that person. Because she is interactive and learns from the user, you get out what you put in.
The Need
COVID-19 is affecting the entire world and the effects will be long lasting. It exacerbates the effects of mental illness effects on people in every country in the world. The Covid-19 has accelerated the need for Anna. Mental health and wellbeing is an integral part of the UN Sustainable Development Goals
In the U.K. 1 in 4 people will experience a mental health problem in any given year
and is the culprit for 28% of burden of disease. If compared with 16% disease burden for cancer, it is easy to see the scale of the problem particularly now. . Despite affecting so many people, it is underfunded and waiting times to access psychological services can be a year or even two. such is the shortage of trained professionals.
How will it help
Anna is an integrated system combining crisis support and support for your day to day life.
- Crisis support helps you identify when you are having a personal crisis or problem and works to change your mental state immediately - so you can get on with getting the most out of life and face reality.
- Anna will help you think about how you behave and introduce the concept that behaviours, situations and often interpersonal dynamics are often a result of our thinking processes. Through interactive questionnaires, Anna will show you the common mind traps no snags that most people fall into and allows you to customise your own.
- Anna will show you common ways that people find helpful to break out of these behavioural traps.
- Once you identify how you think, Anna will guide you through factors that are affecting you in your life and possibly hindering your progress in mental wellness. To be aware of them helps your understanding of a situation and alerts you to seek medical help.
- Anna encourages you to keep a mood diary. This is very short and often just an emoji so you can identify your triggers. If you access the crisis component of Anna, she will prompt you to fill in your trigger so that you can both learn and help with the next crisis.
A SMART PHONE APPLICATION PROVIDES ACCESSIBILITY
Smart phones are everywhere. There are billions of smart phones worldwide, many people do not have access to mental wellness techniques and mental health services - but they do have access to smartphones.
Your phone comes with you everywhere you go and so Anna is now there in the moment that you need her. Your phone is unique to you and used for most areas of your life and so it is familiar, non- threatening and a habit you have already formed.
Most people have access to their own personal phone, which makes Anna private. No one will have access to your private thoughts unless you let them. She can be your secret if you want her to be. ANNA will also have an online forum where people can share experiences.
Developmental Process
Anna will be science led. This is why Anna will be guided by the health professionals. The application must be appealing and easy to use and fun. To this aim Anna is envisioned as a multi-sensory platform. She uses animation, colours, sound and practical exercises to help. She is interactive and uses quizzes and prompts to build a bigger picture about you. Fortunately, all the technology Anna needs to become a reality is already available, so she does not have to wait for technology to catch up. It is here and so could she be.
Deliverables
FEELINGS ANNA WILL COVER
- I don’t feel I am up to it
- Someone close to me just died
- I feel helpless
- Just made a mistake at work
- I feel overwhelmed
- I feel inadequate
- I feel insecure at work
- I feel insecure financially
- Feel my performance is poor at work
- I don’t get on well with my boss and might lose my job
- Just lost my job what do I do next
- Don’t know what to do with my life
- I have lost everything what do I do now
- Don’t have the motivation to start
- I feel depressed
- I am experiencing bullying
- My boss shouts at me
- Feel my performance is poor at work
- And many other situations
These will be expanded over time.
MOOD DIARY
For use every day and couture the mood so that Anna can help with the feelings listed above.
MULTI-PLATFORM APP
App for the different platforms Windows, IOS and Android.
WEB SITE AND FORUM
Anna will have a social media presence where millions of people can share experiences. This will be launched first and help gain awareness for Anna.
LANGUAGES
The application will initially be in English but the plan is to have it in as many languages as possible and be available to all communities, which the smart phone can reach.
USER INTERFACE
An attractive user interface will initially be menu driven and be multi-sensory. Images and sounds for each feeling
We are committed to providing mental wellness techniques for anyone that would find it useful anywhere in the world.
TEAM
The team will be multidisciplinary and comprise of:
- Psychiatrists and Therapist
- Senior Programmers
- Project Manager
- System and Security Architect
- AI Specialist
- Music Composer
- Concept Artists
- Marketeers
Doctors specialising in Psychiatry and Psychotherapists will have with full control of the content. There is no shortage of help with COVID-19 as mental wellbeing is seen by many doctors as a major concern. This team will be continually updating the content with the latest evidence and good practice. It is a continuous process.
The plan is to make this application the gold standard.
The medical team will comprise of around six doctors and psychotherapists based in London each being a specialist in specific areas. The technical team will be around15 based in Cambridge and will work from home during the lockdown. There is great interest from many to help which will be used to leverage internal efforts.
AI and voice recognition would be the obvious next steps. This technology is readily available.