Psychological Well being Consciousness Week 2022

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Earlier this week, to coincide with Psychological Well being Consciousness Week, we posted about a number of new community initiatives which have recently been set up in Powys to address loneliness and isolation following the launch of the Linked Communities: Loneliness & Isolation Fund 2022 – 24.

Immediately we take a look at two extra wonderful tasks which have each been operating for a number of years now in Powys to help folks to entry companies which are “proper for them, which enhance their independence and assist keep social networks”. So typically this implies folks have the possibility to be out and about assembly others, making new friendships and revitalising previous ones.

“The Basis’s Mental Health in the Pandemic analysis has discovered that loneliness has been exacerbated by the Covid pandemic. The Basis has been monitoring loneliness ranges within the UK throughout the pandemic and located the expertise has been a lot greater with devastating affect. Loneliness has been an vital issue contributing to greater ranges of misery, ensuing from folks’s sense of isolation and diminished means to attach with others. Additional polling additionally discovered that loneliness was one of many main points that the general public felt wanted to be addressed.”

So on this, the second of our MHAW 2022 week weblog posts, we concentrate on two key companies offered by Powys Association of Voluntary Organisations, each of which contribute massively to addressing the problems of isolation and / or loneliness within the county. These companies have performed a significant function in supporting folks all through Powys who've struggled by the previous two years of Covid lockdowns and past.

They're the Neighborhood Connectors and Powys Befriending Companies.

Neighborhood Connector Claire Powell (backside row, 2nd L)
& companions on the Newtown locality community

Sharon Healey, Senior Officer Neighborhood Connectors and Powys Befriending Companies at PAVO, tells us extra in regards to the work of those two invaluable companies, and the affect their work is having on people within the county who could also be dwelling with difficult psychological and / or bodily well being circumstances while on the identical time additionally struggling to beat loneliness and / or isolation.

Neighborhood Connectors Service

The Community Connector Service operates throughout Powys, with 13 Neighborhood Connectors primarily based in Localities taking referrals for a variety of points – group actions, transport, advantages, housing, well being circumstances, wellbeing, loneliness and far more.

The Neighborhood Connectors can help shoppers to entry the proper native help and knowledge. The service helps folks in Powys, aged 18 years+ and their households or Carers, to entry group degree companies and actions that can assist them keep impartial lives and which can assist forestall their circumstances deteriorating to a degree the place they may want greater degree well being or social care companies.

Neighborhood Connectors can even help folks after they return house from hospital by serving to different voluntary sector companies, such because the Crimson Cross, determine native companies that could be wanted. This might embody occupational remedy, house diversifications, group transport, particular well being associated points together with dementia, medicine/procuring assortment or sourcing cleansing and overcoming loneliness and isolation.

Throughout 2021/22 the highest presenting points into the CC service have been Social Isolation and Loneliness. We've got supported over 510 people presenting with this difficulty, discovering help and signposting them to befriending companies, native teams of curiosity, people' circle of help, on-line social teams, native social teams, and many others.

Neighborhood Connector Lynda Rogers (far proper) supporting Powys Delight

Suggestions

“I don't know how I would have got through the last few months without the CCs and everything they had helped find out, put in place and have advised me on.”

G is an 80 12 months previous man who by his personal admission was once a workaholic, spending as a lot time as he might on his farm within the work he cherished. Nonetheless as he received older this grew to become bodily tougher and after he and his son employed a farm employee to assist them out with the enterprise he discovered he spent most days at house, alone. He hadn’t developed any pursuits resulting from his work commitments and felt anxious to depart the home.

G was being supported by farming charities Tir Dewi and the DPJ Basis. The volunteer with the DPJ Basis had been supporting G for six weeks and their help was coming to an finish however G felt that he had loved the volunteer’s visits a lot he would really like one thing much like proceed. He was referred into the Neighborhood Connectors' Service.

Neighborhood Connectors spreading the phrase out in the area people

His native Connector talked to him about befriending. He favored the sound of this and would really like head to head visits. He mentioned that with the help of a volunteer, who he had realized to belief, he would take into account going out to fulfill different folks at native group actions.

The Connector contacted the primary Befriending suppliers and located that Age Cymru Powys had a volunteer who may be appropriate for G. With G’s consent, he was referred into the Neighborhood Helpers’ scheme at Age Cymru Powys and was matched with a neighborhood male volunteer later that afternoon. Age Cymru Powys may also offer him their Mamwlad help.

Powys Befriending Service

PBS – Powys Befriending Service is a undertaking run by PAVO – Powys Affiliation of Voluntary Organisations. The service helps folks over the age of fifty dwelling in Powys, to assist keep their independence, construct confidence, develop their social community and reconnect with actions in the neighborhood or with a pleasant cuppa and chat in their very own house. The service helps individuals who have develop into lonely or socially remoted due to sick well being, bereavement, incapacity, life adjustments or social drawback by arranging a supportive, dependable relationship with a Powys Befriender.

The service gives phone befriending, 1:1 befriending within the shopper's own residence or in the neighborhood, digital on-line teams and befriending teams in communities and letter or e-mail befriending. Befriending is a means of bringing two or extra folks along with the purpose of creating a casual social association. Befriending help can decrease charges of despair, enhance social expertise, scale back isolation, enhance self-management, enhance vanity and confidence, scale back vulnerability and danger of abuse, construct a way of function and see a scale back in use of emergency companies.

Sharon Healey (high proper), Senior Officer Neighborhood Connectors & Powys Befriending Companies

at PAVO joins a Powys Befriending board video games session

Powys Befrienders helps shoppers to entry social, leisure, instructional or different wants and promotes private selection, elevated self-respect, supporting current social expertise and growth of recent alternatives. They will go to the shopper in their very own properties or in the neighborhood to offer companionship and help. Phone befrienders have mild, significant conversations with their shopper, offering distraction from unfavourable conditions or circumstances.

As of the tip of March 2022 the service helps over 420 shoppers by the actions supplied. As a result of Covid pandemic the service needed to amend its gives resulting from shoppers isolating and

subsequently with the massive improve in demand for help phone and on-line help was developed.

Powys Befriending Service is a part of a a lot wider crew inside PAVO and the broader Third Sector and any extra help required by shoppers might be sourced by way of the PAVO Neighborhood Connector Service.

Natalie Philbin-Carr (2nd from left), PBS Outreach Officer North Powys
at a Powys Befriending session lunch

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Joyce Bettley is having fun with her calls immensely. “I stay up for the calls a lot and my Volunteer ** is smashing. We speak about meals, recipes, cooking, jam and all the pieces else. It is completely pretty. I used to be reluctant at first however Natalie persuaded me to present it a try to it is the perfect factor I've achieved!”

“There is no question that the Befriending Service has been a lifeline for me at a difficult time. I can recommend it to anybody.”

Espresso & Chat Group, Newtown

Jenny Jones – “It was lovely, just to get out and meet people and so spacious, good coffee too!”

A shopper reported how happy she is together with her Phone Befriender and that ‘he has made the world of difference to me’. She defined that she actually appears to be like ahead to his calls and feels happy that she has been capable of assist her Volunteer overcome his preliminary shyness and insecurity when speaking over the phone. She mentioned that she is a pure conversationalist and their relationship has develop into mutually useful.

A PBS social occasion

And eventually

If anybody scuffling with loneliness in Powys, then allow them to find out about companies and tasks which are obtainable within the county to offer help.

Neighborhood Connectors – contact particulars

Name our Obligation Officer, Neighborhood Connector Service on 01597 828649 10am – 4pm Monday to Friday or e-mail [email protected] 9am – 5pm Monday to Friday.

Powys Befrienders' Service – contact particulars

Name 01597 822191 for a casual chat or e-mail [email protected] 9am – 5pm Monday – Friday.