Change Lives of 50 Mentally Ill for the Better

Quarantine is no excuse to stop Clubhouse rehabilitation program activities. In our last report we shared with you what we were doing to continue our employment activities. This time we would like to tell you about social and leisure activities. Since the beginning of the second round of quarantine in October 2020 we have not been able to visit museums, exhibitions and concerts, which we actively did before. Nevertheless, COVID-19 times gave a new start to the cultural enrichment activities in Russia House. We could not go to the museums but museums came to us. We could not go to the concert halls but music came to us. But how, you ask? We are happy to tell you!

First, in October 2020 a senior research worker of one of the greatest Moscow museums – Pushkin Fine Arts Museum Varvara Zamakhaeva started virtual excursions on the museum exposition for members of Russia House. Since then there have been 21 really brilliant excursions. Another very important direction was a series of 10 musical ‘classes’. They were provided by a close friend of Russia House, a professional musician and an excellent pianist, Natalya Korshunova. She talked us about various musical styles, musical instruments, history of music and well-known composers. Everybody learned a lot from her classes. She played a lot and we are very thankful to her for hours full of wonderful and inspiring music in the middle of long COVID isolation. Recently the so-called antique puzzles have been started. We have a look at antique items and guess what they were used for. Do you think it is an easy task? No, not at all. Sometimes antiques look different than usual. Such puzzles help to solve a number of rehabilitation tasks. First, they help to develop attention to details and analytical thinking. It is very important for people with mental health problems. Second, antique puzzles give a good opportunity to learn more about how people lived in the past. Third, it is a touch to the world of beauty. And, finally, it is simply a good fun.

We are pleased to write that participants of another charity program MOST from the city of Arkhangelsk (North of Russia) and people living in a residential house for people with severe mental disabilities joined us. We believe that these cultural activities help people with mental health problems survive a long period of the second round of isolation.

Russia House community is heartfelt thankful to everybody who supports us in these difficult time!