UPDATE: During the pilot phase in 2023, 1’064 calls were received during the daily opening hours from 6 pm to 11 pm. The Dargebotene Hand is pleased that with Heart2Heart also people can be reached who do not speak a national language.
Compared to the German line, the callers to Heart2Heart are younger and more men. Mental illness is a topic in half of the conversations, often even serious ones. Suicide is a topic in every twelfth call.
Heart2Heart will continue in 2024 and can be reached daily from 6 pm to 11 pm on 0800 143 000. It remains important that English speaking persons in Switzerland are aware of this service. We would therefore be grateful if you could continue to draw attention to Heart2Heart. Flyers and posters can still be ordered. Check out some more statistics at this link.
The launch in 2023
Since January 2023, Heart2Heart launched an English-speaking hotline throughout Switzerland. This is a new branch of the emergency service for telephone number 143: La Main Tendue. Tel 143 is one of the best-known contact points for emotional first aid in Switzerland and the Principality of Liechtenstein and offers empathetic conversations with trained listeners. This service is free of charge, anonymous, and confidential.
Matthias Herren explained to knowitall.ch, "At Heart2Heart no topic is too big or small – we are here to listen to people's concerns, support them in a crisis, or share their good news. We are pleased to have trained English-language volunteers over the last year to be able to try out this new section. All the other 3 official Swiss languages are represented but we felt it necessary to reach out to those that are more comfortable speaking in English, especially in times of turmoil."
From January 2023, the new English line will be called "Heart2Heart", and can be reached daily from 6pm to 11pm through the toll free number 0800 143 000. Those needing to talk about depression, relationship issues, sadness, mental distress, pandemic worries, suicidal thoughts, loneliness, exciting news of any sort, or any other subject where they need have someone listen, are welcome to call the hotline.
Please pass this information along to your friends, colleagues, and neighbors as there are many people who do not know this service is available.
When we found about DaysAway Adventures special Snowshoe & Menopause Wellness Retreat, we caught up with Vivien to find out more. We wrote an article about Vivien and Jason Day a few years ago at this link.
What has changed in the last 2 years concerning Days Away Adventures?
We have grown, both personally and professionally and have not only built a solid and returning client base, we have formed personal relationships, bespoke experiences and discovered more of this beautiful area. We offer not just snowshoeing but snowshoeing with an experience such as yoga, lunch at a mountain restaurant, sunset snowshoe walks, birthday parties and corporate events. In the summer we offer hiking around the area, often joining up with partners such as a local artist to do Art in the Mountains and the local Farm - la Ferme du Caly to do an afternoon walk ending at the Alpage to see the cows being milked and have Apero with a selection of cheeses, meats and wine...! We have also partnered with Serac-montagne which means we can now offer packages such as multi-day retreats.
Why menopause?
Vivien has been going through the 'joyful' symptoms of peri-menopause herself over the past few years and has been feeling a bit lost about it all. Last winter, a neighbour, whom we hadn't met before contacted her to come on a snowshoe walk. Her email footer was 'Menopause Coach.' The conversation started there and developed over coffee. There are many women 'at that time of their lives' and we are all having both similar and wildly different symptoms. Many women on our snowshoe walks seem to be having the same conversations and so I asked some of them if they would like to attend some coaching sessions. The resounding answer was yes!
1 person can save 9 lives : Source 2022 Annual Report SwissTransplant, Fig 3.4
Organ donation in brief
Whether you are for or against organ donation, the important thing is that you make a decision. This decision provides security and clarity, and relieves your loved ones in an emergency.
In Switzerland, it is possible to donate up to six organs: heart, lung, liver, kidneys, pancreas, and small intestine. The pancreas can be transplanted in its entirety or as a cluster of isolated pancreatic islet cells (e.g. insulin-producing cells). Transplantable tissues and cells include corneas, heart valves and large blood vessels, bones, cartilage, tendons, and ligaments.
Organ and tissue donation is only possible if the deceased has given his or her consent and the donor's brain death has been established with certainty. Organ harvesting leaves only a scar from the operation, allowing loved ones to bid farewell to the deceased with dignity and serenity.
Léman hope is a project of the Chiki Foundation that helps young people rebuilding their lives after cancer through sailing.
In Switzerland, every year, 350 children and young people are diagnosed with cancer. Once treatment ends, going back to “normal" life isn’t possible. The long term affects of cancer on physical, emotional, social, and mental wellbeing is huge. The feeling of being different and alone is too often a reality.
Léman hope wants to encourage and inspire those young people to help them rebuild self-confidence, through a 5-day and 4-night sailing trip on Lake Geneva. It is a life adventure where young people connect with others who have also experienced cancer, participate in life onboard and realise what they are capable of (socially and physically), learn new things, support each other and get away from home for a few days in a safe and caring atmosphere accompanied by an experience skipper and a monitor.
Priscille Varillon de Macías, Directrice de projet Léman hope, explains, "We started in 2020 with 2 boats and 8 young people from the French part of Switzerland; in 2021 we welcomed 24 young people; we then doubled the places in 2022 and organised, for the first time, some German-speaking boat crews for Swiss German youngsters. In 2023, we will have 64 young people coming from the French, German, and maybe even the Italian part of Switzerland!"
Isn't it great when you can honestly refer an insurance broker? This is the case with M. Gerard Fossati that I've worked with since 1996. He is now an associate of the company UNEO which is based in Carouge. M. Fossati has followed our family through pregnancy, births, moves, house purchases, car and scooter insurance, business insurances and more. What is lovely with UNEO is that you have one broker who deals with everything and is always willing to respond to queries and needs immediately. M. Fossati always ensures face-to-face or phone calls to explain in layman's terms all the details to help you understand.
I asked M. Fossati how a brokerage works and why it is beneficial to the expat community and beyond. The client does not pay insurance brokers like those at UNEO as they are remunerated directly by insurance companies. When we had water damage in the shower, M. Fossati dealt with contacting the insurance company and pleading my case. He was fantastic.
What is it about insurance that attracted you in the first place?
Proximity, trust, referral: Being a people person and solution-oriented, I found in insurance a form of proximity and trust with my clients.
What was the inspiration or the path?
At ease with customer contact, I began my professional life in the hotel industry as a maître d' in renowned establishments.
Being able to listen and use my skills to advise my clients and help them achieve their goals has been the driving force of my career.
Why branch out to be an independent broker now?
I started my career in a large insurance company. After 20 years invested in the development and management of insurance solutions, I decided to take flight in order to offer my clients an even wider range of solutions for a more personalized follow-up.
