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| Elin Bowen (Care & Repair Powys) & Gethin Edwards (Age Cymru Powys) |
This week’s guest post is from Elin Bowen, who works for Powys Care and Repair as a Mamwlad Case Worker, and her project colleague Gethin Edwards, a Mamwlad Support Officer with Age Cymru Powys. After finding out about the project at a Powys Agri Wellbeing Support meeting recently, I contacted Elin and Gethin for a more indepth look at this new project.
Powys Care and Repair works to help keep their clients safe, warm and secure in their own homes. They run a variety of programmes including the Rapid Adaptations Programme for those 50+. Age Cymru Powys provides essential support to people over 50 and their families in Powys. The organisation works to sustain and improve the quality of life of vulnerable older people in Powys. It believes that older people should be respected and valued as individuals in terms of their dignity, status, personal autonomy, diversity of needs, aspirations and expectations.
What is the Mamwlad project and why was it created?
Both CRP and ACP’s client data demonstrates a disproportionately low take up of their services by older farmers. The farming community are naturally independent and reluctant to seek out support, but as their needs change as they grow older their personal needs increase and both social and physical isolation makes matters worse. The national well-being outcomes are far from being achieved for older farmers. Jointly CRP and ACP will use their experience and knowledge of supporting older people to identify solutions to difficulties, working collaboratively with others in the wider agricultural community, public and voluntary sectors.
What does Mamwlad mean in English?
Homeland, which was the original English project title. In terms of this project we relate it to how the farming community connects with their home, their land and their life to stay living at home safely and independently.
FYI: it also can translate to Motherland, our native country.
So you both work on the Mamwlad project which is a partnership project. How did that evolve and how is it working now?
Both Care and Repair Powys and Age Cymru Powys are trusted sources of information, advice and support for older people across Powys. CRP bring confidence and wellbeing into the home along with technical knowledge and delivery of adaptations where ACP provide holistic information and advice, tackling poverty and social isolation. Together the two organisations combine to provide a complete service to support the farming community.
What led you both to these particular roles?
EB: My working background of 25 years is within nursing, district nursing and more recently a palliative care specialist nurse, however, I was retired from that post due to an injury. Having been out of work for a couple of years whilst having surgery, I by chance found this post advertised, and felt that coming from a farming background myself, the role was perfect. The aspect of nursing that I greatly missed was the client interaction for which this role provides.
GE: My working background has been in the financial / business sectors & renewable energy sectors. I have been an Independent Financial Adviser and a Regional Business Development Manager that has seen me travelling and advising our farming community on different topics across Wales. I have family who still farm in Ceredigion, and know with experience the difficulties that our farming community face in normal circumstances let alone under the current Covid-19 situation and the uncertainties of Brexit. Having seen the advert, I thought I would like to be a part of this exciting new project with a chance to help and make a change in terms of highlighting what benefits and help that is available for our farming community in the whole of Powys, to make life a little easier and happier going forward.
How has the Covid-19 pandemic impacted on the roll-out of the Mamwlad project?
Having taken up the posts within lockdown, the pandemic has had a significant impact on Mamwlad. It was the hope to attend rural shows, livestock markets and various other agricultural events in order to engage with the farming community and make the Mamwlad service accessible, however, this has not been achievable. We have now targeted our engagement through social media, press releases, agricultural businesses and charities, Powys Teaching Health Board and various community groups in the hope of reaching our target groups.
Who from the farming community is eligible to receive support from the project?
Support is available for people who are over the age of 50 who are Farmers / Farmworkers currently farming or retired living in Powys.
What kind of support is available? How can you help farmers remain independent as they grow older?
EB: Care and Repair will provide options and advice on adaptations, repairs or maintenance required to the home to promote independence. By means of a healthy homes assessment we aim to help clients manage better and stay safe, warm and secure in their homes. This may be through falls, trips and slips prevention, fire safety checks, energy efficiency and home safety and security checks. We have a Minor Adaptations' team that can support with grab rails, ramps etc and we can also support the sourcing of funding through benevolent funds or grant applications. Care and Repair will support clients through finding a reliable contractor, provide technical advice and assistance through Care and Repair’s technical officers and liaise closely with the Occupational Therapist to ensure that all work carried out is appropriate to the individual needs of the client.
GE: Age Cymru Powys will offer farmers our primary service in terms of Information & Advice which includes a free confidential benefits check service, this will highlight areas that the client may need further guidance and help towards applying for various benefits shown in the results. We can offer our assistance in completing the welfare forms with them on request.
Other support is offered in the shape of various services, some provided in-house and others through introductions to relevant public & private organisations / charities and other professional bodies.
These services would include befriending services, where a volunteer is introduced and on acceptance rings the client on a regular basis to combat isolation and loneliness that is a big concern both in pre and post Covid-19 pandemic across the Welsh farming community. We work with specialist organisations & charities to aid with ‘Mental Health support’ as some farmers struggle with stress in the current climate and the future unknown.
Local support for practical help could include elements such as getting a volunteer to shop and deliver to their home, pick up prescriptions or help with chores around their home.
As part of the project, it is paramount that we offer our farmers encouragement through Advocacy and support to get their wishes heard through different channels of communication.
An important factor in our offering is to highlight the importance of preparing themselves for their own and the family farm’s future, this planning for their later life goals needs to be introduced and be planted in plenty of time for it to be harvested before each farmer’s journey into their chosen retired life and ensuring future happiness and their independence.
The other part of this program is to support older farmers with significant life events like:
- Bereavement or death.
- Divorce, separation or relationship breakdown.
- Health problems.
- Increased care needs.
- Changes in housing needs or a change in housing circumstances.
- Changes in financial circumstances.
Care and Repair & Age Cymru Powys will endeavour to secure our farming communities’ independence as they grow older by continuing our ongoing supporting activities, along with keeping in regular contact to gauge how each farmer’s goal of ongoing independence in later life is being achieved.
What are some of the specific issues facing farmers as they age in Powys?
Farmers are extremely independent and work hard and long hours in challenging conditions beyond the natural retirement age. The rurality of their homes, a reticence to ask for support coupled with a lack of awareness of what services and support is available, can often lead to loneliness and isolation which Mamwlad aims to address through increasing the awareness and making services more visible and accessible to the farming community.
What is unique about this particular project to support Powys farmers?
There is no other Welsh Government funded project in Wales that combines the services offered by both Care and Repair and Age Cymru Powys to address the needs of the farming community.
How are you working alongside other agencies to support the agri community around issues such as isolation and loneliness for example?
We have identified key organisations in the agricultural community such as vets, feed merchants, accountants, NFU, FUW etc and approached them to support the Mamwlad project in raising the awareness of the service. It was the hope to attend livestock markets, rural shows and other agricultural events, however, the current climate does not allow for this, however, we have been fortunate to gain support from many agricultural organisations and charities through social media presence, press releases and the posting out of our literature.
What is the most challenging aspect of the job for each of you?
Negotiating the current climate is by far the greatest challenge. We are unable to provide all of the service through face to face contact as was originally planned at inception.
It’s early days but tell us about some of the most rewarding work you have done on the Mamwlad project so far
EB: Increasing independence and accessibility around the home, through both internal and external adaptations for an extremely independent gentleman which improved his quality of life within his home.
GE: Making an elderly farming couple, who are still farming in their 80s, aware of their eligibility for additional help through various unclaimed benefits and reductions in certain household bills, so helping to ease some financial burdens during this difficult economic climate.
What is the most valuable thing you have both learnt since starting your roles?
EB: I feel very honoured and grateful to be working with the agricultural community with such a wealth of history and character and value working with such individuals within my community.
GE: I think the farming community remains strong in terms of unity during these uncertain times, there is a lot of help out there in terms of actual business advice for the farmers. However, Mamwlad is centred more on the individual farmers’ current well-being and how we can help make life a little easier both now and in their future planning so independence remains integral in their older life.
When you are not working for the Mamwlad project, how do you enjoy spending your time?
EB: I enjoy costal walking with the family and my dog, Flori, and love reading.
GE: I enjoy spending time with my family, trying to keep up with my two year old grandson, trekking, cycling & consuming large varieties of food!
Many thanks to Elin and Gethin for telling us all about the Mamwlad project in Powys. If you would like to find out more you can contact Elin by emailing EBowen@crpowys.co.uk or ringing 01686 620760 or Gethin by emailing Gethin.Edwards@acpowys.org.uk or ringing 01597 825908.
