Gearing up to help out: the latest on infoengine

by guest author Melissa Townsend
County Development Officer at Powys Association of Voluntary Organisations

infoengine is an online directory of third sector services across Wales. Individuals use infoengine to search for services which can support them in their area; for example, a food bank or club that they would like to get involved with.

infoengine has over 7,000 services registered across Wales and it is a helpful tool for those smaller organisations who do not have a website as infoengine can act as a web page for organisations.

Searching on infoengine is easy, all you need to do is add the keyword for the service you are looking for e.g. football and then add the area e.g. Brecon and infoengine will show you the relevant results.

During lock down, PAVO recruited an infoengine volunteer, Milly, who has been contacting groups in Powys to register on infoengine. Milly has been invaluable and has contacted food banks, community transport schemes and COVID-19 groups to support them to register on infoengine.

Milly recently received her A level results and has been accepted to her first choice university, so she left us in September. This is a really exciting time for Milly and we will sorely miss her and the support she has given to infoengine as a volunteer.

infoengine supports both individuals and organisations.

Age Connects Torfaen 

Here are some quotes from organisations and individuals who have used infoengine:

Emma, who works at Age Connects Torfaen, explains: “Infoengine is a comprehensive online source that we greatly value. It’s a positive step for the third sector to have their own platform, because good work is being carried out locally, by independent charities, many of which have limited marketing budgets. infoengine offers a safety net – for free.”

Powys food bank volunteers

Julia, a food bank volunteer, says: “infoengine is important to us, because we know a good number of people who have used it in order to find us. When people are in crisis they need help urgently, and it acts like a web page.”

Powys Befrienders get-together

Natalie, a volunteer turned employee of Powys Befriending Service, tells her story: “I was googling for a volunteering opportunity when I found their infoengine page. I now work for them full time and one of my tasks is to ensure each of the groups are listed, because I know – from experience – you never know who could be using the site and the difference it can make to their lives!”

If you would like support to register on infoengine or would like to become a volunteer, please contact us: infoengine@pavo.org.uk or telephone 01597 822191.

Click HERE to view our handy ‘How To’ Guide for registering on infoengine

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Yn paratoi i helpu: y diweddaraf ar infoengine

gan yr awdur gwadd Melissa Townsend

Swyddog Datblygu Sirol Cymdeithas Mudiadau Gwirfoddol Powys

Cyfeiriadur ar-lein o wasanaethau trydydd sector ledled Cymru yw infoengine. Mae unigolion yn defnyddio infoengine i chwilio am wasanaethau a all eu cefnogi yn eu hardal; er enghraifft, banc bwyd neu glwb yr hoffent gymryd rhan ynddo.

Mae gan infoengine dros 7,000 o wasanaethau wedi'u cofrestru ledled Cymru ac mae'n arf defnyddiol i'r sefydliadau llai hynny sydd heb wefan, gan y gall infoengine weithredu fel tudalen we i sefydliadau.

Mae’n rhwydd chwilio ar infoengine, y cyfan sydd angen i chi ei wneud yw ychwanegu'r allweddair ar gyfer y gwasanaeth rydych chi'n chwilio amdano e.e. Pêl-droed ac yna ychwanegu'r ardal e.e. Rhaeadr Gwy, a bydd infoengine yn dangos y canlyniadau perthnasol i chi.

Yn ystod y cyfnod clo, mae PAVO wedi recriwtio gwirfoddolwr ar gyfer infoengine - Milly, sydd wedi bod yn cysylltu â grwpiau Powys i gofrestru ar infoengine. Mae Milly wedi bod yn amhrisiadwy ac wedi cysylltu â banciau bwyd, cynlluniau cludiant cymunedol a grwpiau COVID-19 i'w cefnogi i gofrestru ar infoengine.

Yn ddiweddar, derbyniodd Milly ei chanlyniadau Lefel A ac mae wedi cael ei derbyn i'’r brifysgol a’i dewis cyntaf, felly bydd yn ein gadael ym mis Medi. Mae hwn yn amser cyffrous iawn i Milly a byddwn yn gweld ei eisiau yn fawr a'r gefnogaeth y mae wedi'i rhoi i infoengine fel gwirfoddolwr.

Mae infoengine yn cefnogi unigolion a sefydliadau.

Age Connects Torfaen 

Dyma rai dyfyniadau gan sefydliadau ac unigolion sydd wedi defnyddio infoengine:

Eglura Emma, ​​sy'n gweithio yn Age Connects Torfaen: “Mae Infoengine yn ffynhonnell ar-lein gynhwysfawr ac rydym yn ei gwerthfawrogi'n fawr. Mae'n gam pwysig i'r trydydd sector gael ei blatfform ei hun, oherwydd mae gwaith da yn cael ei wneud yn lleol, gan elusennau annibynnol, y mae gan lawer ohonynt gyllidebau marchnata cyfyngedig. Mae infoengine yn cynnig rhwyd ​​ddiogelwch - am ddim.”

Gwirfoddolwyr banc bwyd Powys

Dywed Julia, gwirfoddolwr gyda banc bwyd: “Mae infoengine yn bwysig i ni, oherwydd rydyn ni'n adnabod nifer dda o bobl sydd wedi'i ddefnyddio er mwyn dod o hyd i ni. Pan fydd pobl mewn argyfwng mae angen help arnyn nhw ar frys, ac mae'n gweithredu fel tudalen we."

Cyfeillgarwch Powys yn dod at ei gilydd

Mae Natalie, gwirfoddolwr sydd bellach yn gyflogedig gan Wasanaeth Cyfeillion Powys, yn adrodd ei stori: “Roeddwn yn chwilio am gyfle gwirfoddoli pan ddes o hyd i dudalen infoengine. Bellach, rwyf yn gweithio iddyn nhw’n llawn-amser ac un o fy nhasgau yw sicrhau bod pob un o'r grwpiau wedi'u rhestru, oherwydd rydw i'n gwybod - o brofiad - nad ydych chi byth yn gwybod pwy allai fod yn defnyddio'r wefan a'r gwahaniaeth y gall ei wneud i'w bywydau!"

Os hoffech gael cefnogaeth i gofrestru ar infoengine neu os hoffech ddod yn wirfoddolwr, cysylltwch â ni: infoengine@pavo.org.uk neu ffoniwch 01597 822191.

Cliciwch YMA i weld ein Canllaw defnyddiol ‘How To’ ar gyfer cofrestru ar infoengine

Dilynwch ni ar Twitter a Facebook

Powys Dementia Network - first online event!

by Sue Newham, Health & Wellbeing Engagement Officer

It was great to have 26 people attending the online Dementia Network event on 15th July. It seemed to go very well. 20 people filled in the post event evaluation and said it was either excellent or very good. Three people tried but were unable to attend because of technology issues.

People started by showing an object that linked with their lockdown experience. Gill used a pickaxe to create a new flowerbed on a steep slope and Mark's bucket full of nails, bolts and DIY bits was finally sorted out during lockdown!

These videos featuring people living with dementia and their carers were shown:

Life in Lockdown (6.5 minutes)

In 'Life in Lockdown' four people living with dementia speak with Dr Jennifer Roberts from the Dementia Services Development Centre. They talk about both the difficulties and and the upsides of Covid isolation. You can find out more here.

Yn 'Life in Lockdown' mae pedwar o bobl sy'n byw gyda dementia yn siarad â Dr Jennifer Roberts o Ganolfan Ymchwil DSDC. Maent yn siarad am anawsterau ac anfanteision ynysu Covid. Gallwch ddarganfod mwy yma.

Frannie's lockdown story (10 minutes)

Shirley's lockdown story  (5.5 minutes)

f

These videos by Dementia Matters in Powys and their service users were shown:

DMiP Service User Review (8 minutes)

What we offer - DMiP Staff (4.5 minutes)

What people thought about the online Dementia Network

Comments about what people liked about the event included:

“Virtual friendship and enthusiasm of everyone.”

“I felt that people spoke very freely, despite or maybe because of the online setting.”

“Got a chance to exchange more ideas than we have at physical meetings.”

When asked about what to change for next time, more discussion group time was mentioned, along with having more people with dementia organising it. Most people felt that the length of the meeting was about right.

People discussed “The Good, The Bad and The Ugly” of the Covid 19 crisis

Good

• Many people enjoyed having more time for gardening, hobbies and spending time with family.
• Technology was mentioned as a learning point and virtual meetings as a good way to keep in touch with family and friends. Many felt they had got to know people better through using virtual meetings.
• People expressed pleasure in being at home, seeing more of partners and immediate family.
• Some people who were working were happy about working at home and travelling less, feeling that less travel gave them more time to meet clients’ needs.
• People working or volunteering for third sector organisations had seen a big increase in people volunteering, as well as in referrals.
• People mentioned strong community spirit as a real benefit of the situation.
• Getting outdoors, including gardening was enjoyed by many and felt to be good for wellbeing.
• A few people mentioned learning new skills or doing online courses.

Bad – things which were difficult or frustrating, but bearable

• Cancellation of planned trips or events.
• Shielding, social distancing and unclear Covid rules.
• Reduction of some statutory services and support, so there was not the same level of support coming into the home.
• Trying to get supermarket delivery slots was frustrating for many, as was shopping in person for those with sensory impairment.
• Being confined at home with several others was a frustration for some.
• The lack of family visits or not seeing family was difficult, including those living in care homes or shielding.
• Greater pressure on carers affected both those with older relatives to care for and parents looking after children. Many didn’t get any time off and found they were needing to take a lead where other services had been involved before.
• Technology was less of a positive aspect where poor internet was involved, and affected both service users and some staff working from home. Some people struggled with confidence around using tablets, laptops or smartphones to access meetings.
• Not being able to go to funerals upset some participants.
• For some people, having to carry on working outside the home put them under a lot of pressure.
• Service providers expressed sadness and frustration about clients they had not been able to connect with. They felt that for some services, you need face to face to be able to really understand the support that is needed.

Ugly - things that were very difficult to cope with

• Lack of tolerance and people getting angry.
• Lack of physical contact and hugs.
• Fear of the unknown and future economic uncertainty.
• Not being able to visit family and elderly parents.
• Had toothache all lockdown and no services to go to.
• Not being able to visit dying loved one.
• Those living with dementia have suffered from lack of contact and their condition has deteriorated through lockdown.
• Increased pressure on carers.
• It was difficult to accept the isolation that some clients were facing.

The second discussion group was about things we would like to “Keep, Chuck or Change” as we move forward

Keep

People wanted to keep the increased use of technology for keeping in touch, the closer community spirit and support, the better work/ life balance and the networking between grass roots groups and services.

Chuck

• The virus! We all hope for a vaccine.
• Queues.

Change

• Technology was felt to be very beneficial, but there needs to be more user friendly tech, more training and support for those who lack confidence, more emphasis on people being equipped for virtual meetings and better broadband coverage so rural communities don’t get left behind.
• There was concern for people with dementia who also have sensory loss, and the need to develop more proactive ways of reaching out to them and supporting them.
• The expansion of Dementia Friendly Communities across the county would help to raise awareness of dementia. People living with dementia may forget about social distancing or forget to wear masks.
• There is a role for “crisis experts” to be employed to help people deal with sudden, traumatic and unexpected crises. In a crisis, it’s difficult to make sense of all the information and to know how to access support.
• People felt that non-digital information such as leaflets, and mobile services such as Post Offices and Libraries were an important lifeline.

If you didn't attend this Dementia Network meeting and want to be included on the mailing list, please contact Sue Newham by emailing sue.newham@pavo.co.uk

Thanks to Dementia Matters in Powys for providing the technical support for the event and for liaising with members to get their input. DMiP staff have worked with PAVO to ensure that this event is relevant and informative for those living with dementia, their carers and organisations offering support. Diolch yn fawr.

Powys Dementia Network – starting off the new decade

Powys Dementia Network continues to meet at least twice each year in different parts of the county. We wrote about the summer 2019 day, where we were treated to a surprise visit from the children taking part in Hafren School’s intergeneration project, here.

The first event of the new decade took place in January 2020 at Crossgates near Llandrindod Wells. Sue Newham, who is an Engagement Officer in the Health and Wellbeing team at PAVO, helped organise this latest day, and reports back for us now on how the network is growing and evolving to try and meet the varied needs of those attending and looking to find out more about dementia initiatives across this vast county of Powys.

The Powys Dementia Network aims to bring together those living with dementia and their carers, and third sector and statutory organisations providing services for these people. It is funded by Powys Association of Voluntary Organisations and Dementia Matters in Powys.

Getting the balance right has always been an issue, as the needs of organisations who attend and have a table on which to display their literature, are different to the needs and desires of those living with dementia. The number of individuals attending has always been smaller: 3 in February 2019, 6 in July 2019 and 6 in January 2020. Overall attendance varies between 28 and 42. Venues cycle between north, mid and south Powys and the events are held every 6 months. 

Deborah Gerrard, Chief Officer of Dementia Matters in Powys

The general structure of the day has evolved, and with strong input from Dementia Matters in Powys, the last event included a period of practical activities, including drumming, art and story-telling. People could refresh themselves at a “water bar” with a selection of waters flavoured with fruit, and there was the opportunity to experience virtual reality trips to the beach and the countryside. These activities enabled people to chat and share their stories, and proved a very popular part of the day.

Feedback from the last event was very positive with more than half of the participants rating it as excellent and the remainder rating it as good. No one rated it lower.

Positive outcomes for Jane (not her real name):

By attending the last two Dementia Network events, Jane has heard about the many services available to support older people, including those with dementia. She has become more able to discuss the possibility of dementia in herself and has expressed more contentment as a result of this.

Jane had displayed growing levels of frustration with lapses of memory, and was prone to talking negatively to herself about being “a silly old woman” and telling herself off for lack of concentration. By hearing from others living with dementia, and getting used to the term dementia in her own life, she is more positive about herself, realising that she can’t simply “pull her socks up” and perform better. She is more at peace with herself.

As a result of hearing about the “My life, my wishes” booklet at the Dementia Network, Jane has started completing this with her family. She has also made provision for powers of attorney covering finances and health and wellbeing.

After attending the Dementia Network in Newtown in July 2019, Jane felt able to speak at the January 2020 network event, which is something she has not been used to doing before. Participants were impressed by her desire to carry on with her life and to live as independently as she could for as long as she could.

Lucy Taylor, PAVO Community Connector

Positive outcomes for Lucy:

Lucy Taylor is the Community Connector for Llandrindod and Rhayader and also attended the day. The network is invaluable for her – “I’m able to catch up with people I’ve not seen for a while due to everyone being so busy! The mix of people attending, from those living with dementia to practitioners, and others on the side, is really very good. I also picked up two referrals on the day and am providing ongoing support to these new clients.

I thought it was particularly powerful to hear two people speak about living with dementia, and others have said how brilliant that was. People hear the word ‘dementia’ and start thinking – that’s the end of everything and I’ll just forget things now. But for most people it is a much longer journey and they live with dementia for a good period of time. So this was a really positive message to come out of the day. By speaking they also raised awareness of how they first became aware of small signs of dementia which occurred in their daily lives.

There were some fantastic activities on the day, such as the drumming and the water bar. And they all had a purpose, they weren’t just random activities. So, for example, the drumming was obviously social but also that kind of rhythmic tapping is very calming, whilst the water bar brought home the message that you need to stay hydrated to keep in good health!

It would be really great to try and bring in people from the smaller communities in the county at future events too if at all possible”.

The next Powys Dementia Network event will take place in Brecon on 15 July 2020. If you are interested in finding out more then please contact Sue Newham by emailing sue.newham@pavo.org.uk or ringing 01597 822191.

Together for Mental Health consultation - a Powys view

Individual rep, Sarah Dale, on Llandudno beach

Our Participation Officer, Owen Griffkin, shares a report on the Welsh Government 

Consultation for the ‘Together for Mental Health’ Delivery Plan 2019 - 2022

On a sunny day (with scattered showers) I attended the consultation event for the Together for Mental Health plan 2019-2022. I was there to accompany one of our individual representatives, Sarah Dale, who felt it is was important for Powys to have a voice in one of the live consultations. This all day event was in a beautiful location in Llandudno, Venue Cymru, with a lovely sea view, which almost made the 150 mile round trip worth it.

Together for Mental Health is the Welsh Government's 10 year cross governmental strategy and was published in 2012. This consultation is to inform the last 3 years of the plan and to look at the priorities that have been identified and how they will be implemented.

The day was chaired by Ainsley Bladon, the Mental Health Strategy Lead at the Welsh Government, who is regularly seen at both regional and national partnership events. She introduced the delivery plan with a short presentation and then we moved on to the first question for discussion.

This was looking at the key priorities for the next 3 years and there were a lot of themes arising that we have come across in other engagement events. Some of these included - transition from Child & Adolescent Mental Health Services (CAMHS) to adult services, accessing mental health services with substance misuse issues, difference in service depending on location and funding of third sector (voluntary) organisations.

Also a big point raised was the accessibility of legislation and documents to the ordinary person. There is a lot of jargon and acronyms in the consultation document and this has proved a barrier to some people in disseminating the information. Ainsley said they had heard this a lot and they will look to change this in the future.

Sarah was very vocal about the need to ensure that basic service provision is met in Powys and that locally this is a priority - eg 24 hours crisis care. She also spoke passionately about the Talk to Me 2 suicide and self-harm plan, saying that it didn’t have enough mention of self-harm.

Next we were asked if the cross-cutting workstreams were appropriate to prioritise, which once again prompted some explanation requests about the technical language of the document.

These priority areas can be seen in this photo:

We were able to share some of the findings of the recent care and treatment plan engagement events held by Powys Teaching Health Board in Powys as this is linked to the ‘Core data set’ requirement, and also highlighted some of the specific issues in Powys around engagement.

After lunch, and a very quick stroll along the prom, we returned to look at what the room thought the key impacts would be and how we can increase positive effects whilst mitigating negative effects. The importance of third sector organisations was highlighted again, and a few people spoke about the relationship between staff and service users and the importance of being listened to in that relationship. 

We then ended with a reflective exercise on the effectiveness of the day and an assurance that results of the consultation will be fed back to everyone who attended. We closed with a thank you speech from Tracey Breheny, the fairly-new Deputy Director of Mental Health. It was interesting to hear that she is also responsible for Substance Misuse and Vulnerable Groups which hopefully augurs well for more coordination and understanding of the co-occurring issues of substance misuse and mental health. She also came out with the quote of the day when she said that all the comments would be ‘fed into the sausage machine of the Welsh Government’ and processed into a report.

All in all the day was definitely worth our while going although it is a shame that there isn’t an event closer to Mid Wales. It is vital that Powys has its voice heard in this consultation as we have a lot of issues specific to our county and I therefore urge anybody with an interest in the delivery plan for Mental Health services to fill in the online consultation before August 30th. You can participate by visiting the link on the following webpages:

Welsh

English

There is also another consultation event in Carmarthen on the 28th August that I recommend attending if you have the time.

Venue

Room TL5 (Ground Floor), Teaching and Learning Building, University of Wales Trinity Saint David, Carmarthen Campus, SA31 3EP.

The day will be structured as follows:

Morning 10:00 – 12:30 – Discussion of Priority Areas
Lunch 12:30 - 1:30

Afternoon 1.30 – 4.00pm – Considering Impact and Delivery

To take part please RSVP to Darren Lewis (Darren.lewis@gov.wales) including the following details:

Name, organisation (if relevant) and event you wish to attend (West Wales in this case). Expenses and lunch are provided on the day. 

If you fill in the consultation, or attend the Carmarthen event, please let us know at PAVO. You can email owen.griffkin@pavo.org.uk or ring 01597 822191. We might be able to help you organise lift shares and put you in touch with others attending.

Powys Dementia Network - Summer 2019

by Jen Hawkins & Jackie Newey

Health & Wellbeing / Mental Health Information Officers

On Wednesday 17 July we attended the latest Powys Dementia Network event at the Football Club in Newtown. It was organised by our colleague Sue Newham, Engagement Officer in the team, and attended by a huge variety of organisations and individuals. These included Dementia Matters in Powys, Alzheimer’s Society Cymru, Powys Libraries, Hafren School children, Powys Teaching Health Board and people living with dementia to name but a few.

As always we will try to capture some of the spirit and information from the day below, but if you would like to find out more and / or attend future events then please get in touch - further details at the end of the post.

The last Network event in Brecon in February this year was also captured for the blog in Powys Dementia Network event - Housing.

Alzheimer’s Society & Dementia Connect - Kerry Phelps, Alzheimer’s Society Cymru

Kerry Phelps opened her presentation with some thought provoking statistics about dementia, stating that 1 million people live with dementia in 2021, a figure that is expected to rise to 2 million by 2050. The Alzheimer's Society celebrate their 40th birthday this year and in that time have learned a lot about how best to support people living with dementia.

In 2017 the society rolled out their “New Deal Dementia Strategy,” with their mission being to “transform the landscape of dementia forever.” The strategy comprises three pillars, a new deal on support, a new deal on society, (focusing on changing conversations around dementia) and a new deal on research, with the biggest investment in research to date. By 2022 they aim to “reach out to everyone from the time of diagnosis to offer help and deliver a universally accessible support and advice service.”

Dementia Connect is their gold star service through which the new deal dementia strategy is being rolled out. At present it supports 1 in 10 people with the aim to eventually be able to support 7 in 10 people. The central ethos of the strategy is focused on person centred support, planning to empower people to take control of their care.

Andrew Jones & Agnes McDonald of Powys Libraries Service

Brecon Library: Introducing the RemPod & the Past-Times Picnic Hampers - Andrew Jones, Powys County Council

Read & Remember is a new Powys Libraries initiative drawing on the value and the power of a shared oral experience - it’s all about sharing reading aloud creating nostalgic connections and sharing experience. Originally it was set up as an all-community activity, but as they worked with it library staff found that people from the dementia community were the most engaged. As a result staff built in extra resources and so the Past-Times picnic hampers were created filled with nostalgic items to trigger memories.

The hampers are themed - people can choose from the Seaside, Transport, Animals, Gardening and Wildlife. Each hamper is full of nostalgic items which twig off memories from people’s past. The hampers can be used at events and have already proved successful at a number of care homes. They work well with relevant reading material. There is no cost involved and hampers can be reserved and transported between libraries in the county with advance notice, with one member of staff in the north of Powys and one in the south to transport them. 

The hampers were followed by the RemPods - amazing pop-up banners featuring large scale photographs of relevant scenes. On the day we enjoyed taking selfies in front of the Seaside RemPod - the only things missing were the actual ice creams! Other RemPods feature a shop and a 60s/70s living room and they work really well engaging people in initial conversation. Andrew said “it’s such fun watching how people open up and chat.”

Powys Library Service is keen to work with care homes, local clubs and societies to broaden the audience and give people who would not usually consider reading aloud some confidence.

Another top tip passed on by Andrew and Agnes is the carer's library card. Anyone who cares for someone with dementia in a personal or professional capacity, family members and friends of people living with dementia, are all eligible for a carer's card. This allows you to take out up to 20 books at a time with no library fines or fees incurred.

Frances Isaacs (who spoke about living with dementia) and Deborah Gerrard, Dementia Matters in Powys

Planning a Dementia Meeting Centre in Newtown - Deborah Gerrard, Dementia Matters in Powys

Deborah, the new Chief Officer at Dementia Matters in Powys, gave an update on plans for a dementia meeting centre in Newtown. The first Meeting Centre in the county opened in March 2017 in Brecon. The National Lottery Community Fund has now funded two further centres in Llandrindod and Ystradgynlais. Newtown will be No 4.

Dementia meeting centres are staffed by community development officers, facilitators and volunteers.They offer support, advice and information to people living with dementia and their carers. In the Netherlands, where the first centres were created in the late 1990s following research, there are now over 140 centres supporting 2000 people every day. Soon there will be 10 in the UK, and of these 4 will be in Powys which is an amazing development for the county.

Members find that attending the centres means that they can live in their own homes for longer and experience an increase in self esteem and feelings of belonging with a reduction in feelings of isolation, fear and anxiety. The Newtown centre is a partnership project between DMiP and Dementia Friendly Newtown. An Initiative Group has been set up to look at locations for the centre, volunteer recruitment and responding to the needs of local people living with dementia. The planned open day for the centre is Tuesday 1 October 2019 and if anyone is interested in getting involved in the meantime they should contact DMiP by emailing info@dmip.org.uk or call 01597 821166. Developments can also be followed on social media by connecting via Facebook or following via Twitter.

Hafren School Intergenerational Project - Children from Hafren School

Children from Hafren Junior school came along to share their intergenerational singing project with us. Three hundred staff and pupils at the school are trained as dementia friends, with two members of staff qualified dementia champions. Pupils from the school are actively involved with Newtown’s dementia community and can be regularly found at Newtown Library on Friday afternoons and Plas Cae Crwn on Tuesday afternoons. 

Carl Hyde, headteacher of the school, extended an open invitation to attend one of their sessions claiming that the “two most memorable afternoons of his 21 year teaching career,” were as a result of attending the intergenerational afternoons. Take a look at our video of the pupils on our Dementia Network day or pop down to one of the afternoons to experience the project first hand.

Frances (left) and Glenda (right) who spoke about living with dementia
Middle - Anna Story of Bangor University

“In it Together, Dementia Voices in Mid & North Wales” - Anna Story, Frances Isaacs & Glenda Roberts

Anna Story of Bangor University was funded by a Dementia Innovations Working Together Grant to work with Dementia Matters in Powys and DEEP* to make a short film capturing the voices of people with dementia in Mid & North Wales. Anna introduced the film premiere with two of the participants - Frances and Glenda - both of whom live with dementia. They said “we enjoyed making the film - Anna is so easy to talk to. We had great fun.”

To capture footage for the film Anna visited different dementia groups across the area where people meet to have fun, laugh and support each other.

The film is aimed at three audiences - people living with dementia, the general public (showing that people with dementia can have fun), and care professionals where it can be used for training purposes. Watch the film in English or Welsh.  

*DEEP stands for the Dementia Engagement and Empowerment Project – it is the UK network of dementia voices. DEEP consists of around 100 groups of people with dementia – groups that want to influence services and policies.

Eira Meyer (Advanced Care Planning Champion at Newtown Hospital)
and Heather Wenban, (Dementia Lead, Powys Teaching Health Board)

My Life, My Wishes - Heather Wenban, Dementia Lead, Powys Teaching Health Board 

Heather Wenban lead an informative and interesting session about advance care planning highlighting the fact that decisions we make about the end of our lives are just as important as how we choose to live our lives.

To find out more about this important initiative please see our earlier Health & Wellbeing Blog from June this year, “My Life My Wishes - Live Well Dying Matters,”

Community Transport in Powys - Sarah Leyland Morgan, Powys County Council

Sarah opened her presentation with a useful definition of community transport stating that “community transport is there to underpin the transport network where it doesn’t adequately meet people’s needs.” Community transport is not a free service and is designed to support people, helping them to participate in their normal day-to-day activities in areas such as education and training, employment, health appointments and shopping.

Community transport is designed to feed in to the public transport network with three types of provision in Powys:

Dial-A-Ride

Ten Dial-a-Ride schemes operate in Powys provided by mini buses and MPV accessible vehicles (Multi Purpose Vehicle). Dial-a-Ride provides a door to door service, usually within a 10 mile radius where users are not able to use their concessionary passes. Membership schemes are usually available.

Community Car Schemes

These make use of of volunteers' cars with the travel costs being reimbursed. Not all community car schemes are membership based with trips often being to the hospital or longer, out of county journeys. 

Taxi Card Schemes

Currently there are two taxi card schemes operating in Powys. People in Montgomeryshire are supported with tokens of between £50-£100. The main issue with the schemes is a lack of taxi services in the area. Membership schemes are usually available where the service operates and often can be used within a ten mile radius.

Group Hire

Some third sector organisations offer group vehicle hire services, some offer a driver, with others you have to provide your own.

Powys Community Transport can support groups and communities in many ways. In the year 2018-2019 community transport has assisted people to make 5,778 trips to community hospitals and approximately 30,000 social and pleasure trips, to give just two examples.

Our next Dementia Network day is provisionally planned for Wednesday 17 January 2019 in Llandrindod Wells. Sign up to the Powys Dementia Network and find out about future Awareness Days by emailing sue.newham@pavo.org.uk or ringing 01597 822191.

Powys Dementia Network Day - housing

by Jen Hawkins & Jackie Newey

Health & Wellbeing / Mental Health Information Officers

On Wednesday 20 February we attended the latest Powys Dementia Network event at the Elim Church in Brecon. It was organised by our colleague Sue Newham, Engagement Officer in the team, and attended by a huge variety of organisations and individuals. These included Community Psychiatric Nurses from the Brecon Community Mental Health team, the Macular Society, Mid & West Wales Fire Service and Care & Repair Powys to name but a few.

We will try to capture some of the spirit and information from the day below, but if you would like to find out more and / or attend future events then please get in touch - further details at the end of the post. The last Network event was also captured for the blog in Powys Dementia Network event Spring 2018.

Overview - Heather Wenban, Dementia Lead Nurse, Powys Teaching Health Board

Heather emphasized the importance of continuing to raise the profile of dementia as we have been doing. It is high on the Welsh Government agenda with increasing numbers of people living with dementia as the population ages. She reminded us of the 6 pledges in the Powys Dementia Plan, and also highlighted the significance of working collaboratively with Powys County Council and the Third Sector to achieve the best possible outcomes for people living with dementia.

There have already been many achievements in Powys, including the introduction of the Butterfly Scheme on hospital wards, a rolling programme of dementia awareness training for health board and care home staff, and specialised RITA (Reminiscence Interactive Therapies and Activities) training too.

Heather noted the huge focus on housing in the new Welsh Government Dementia Action Plan for Wales. She is keen to share best practice with colleagues and work towards the goal of ensuring people can live well at home for as long as possible.

Making our communities and housing dementia friendly - Steve Huxton from the office of the Older People’s Commissioner

Steve began by addressing the discrimination and stereotyping that many older people living in Wales face on a daily basis. He said that older people need to feel valued and respected, to lead healthy active lives, to have their voices heard and be acknowledged as “experts by experience” in building communities for the future.

He is pleased to see the rise of dementia friendly communities in Wales, which can make transformative changes for people living with dementia, but recognised that there is a spin-off for communities which become better for all of us as a result.

Whether housing is provided by housing associations, the local authority or Third Sector organisations it is key that important questions are addressed such as - can people access transport, socialise with friends or enjoy green spaces? Steve believed that no one sector can do all that is required - it is important to look at innovative but practical solutions to meet the needs of the over 55,000 people who will be living with dementia in Wales in just the next two years. 

Housing is critical in all aspects of our lives - and creating warm, safe and accessible housing that allows people to live independently for longer reduces the impacts on stretched public sector services as well as improving individuals’ lives. It’s essential to recognise the importance of housing as more than just accomodation, it’s where our days begin and end, where each daily journey starts, it’s the heart of our world that allows us to live the lives we want to lead. We need to move away from theoretical practice and implement something that can make a big difference to people’s lives, creating a Wales that everyone is happy to grow old in.

Understanding housing support needs - Terry Flynn, Powys County Council

Terry is both a team leader for the council’s housing strategy and also a pensioner! After acknowledging the changing demographics of Powys whereby younger people move away for work and education whilst retirees choose to settle here in later years, Terry focused on two specific areas of his work: the bricks and mortar, and housing support needs.

The old sheltered housing model of the 60s and 70s is not fit for purpose in this day and age. Council and housing association stock is being reviewed and refurbished where appropriate to suit the needs of today’s aging population. He was shocked to discover that 30% of accommodation originally designated for older people was no longer suitable, for example, not accessible.

Terry went on to describe a new approach called Extra Care. Working with the health board and housing associations in Powys some of the care homes are being replaced by a different kind of provision. An example of this is Llys Glan Yr Afon in Newtown. Here people can live independently in their own homes but be reassured that extra help and support is available throughout the year. Similar projects are being developed in Ystradgynlais, Welshpool and eventually Brecon.

Terry championed the “unsung service” of Housing Support Needs, who in conjunction with voluntary sector agencies work for one purpose - to ensure people can live independently in their own homes, “to make sure they are on an even keel.”

Sharing information & networking during the day

Approaching dementia differently - Sam Bolam, CEO Dementia Matters in Powys, with Frances Isaacs and Gill Garner

Sam asked us all to think if there is a different way of doing things when working to improve the lives of people living with dementia. “We need to have a beginner’s mind and look at how we can constantly improve and change what we’re doing. It is time for a dementia revolution.”‘When we pause, allow a gap and breathe deeply, we can experience instant refreshment. Suddenly, we slow down, and there's the world,’ Pema Chodron

Sam highlighted the need for change in how we approach supporting people with dementia. It’s not acceptable to just adopt a technical approach, but to recognise and adopt a person centered approach, changing from ‘what matters,’ to ‘you matter.’’ Considering person centered approaches like colour coded tarmac to support people in their daily journeys to and from their homes. Sam showed some stereotypical images of people with dementia and challenged the preconceived view held by many, she called for a dementia revolution, looking at supporting the whole human. 

There followed a conversation between Frances (who lives with dementia) and Gill (who cared for her father who lived with dementia) about some of the difficulties they have and do face and strategies they have used. Frances described, very entertainingly, how she once found herself in a broom cupboard instead of a toilet, and her “Psycho” experience when trying to extricate herself from a steamy shower. But, she said, “there is a life I had never imagined between diagnosis and before I go down the pan.” She went on to describe some of her most rewarding experiences as a volunteer with Dementia Matters in Powys, her love of the open air, and the fun times at Brecon’s Meeting Centre. Frances also impressed upon us that “it is important that you do the things that you love, that are you.”

Information sessions

Alzheimers’ Society’s New Deal on dementia 2017 - 22, and it’s new service model, Dementia Connect - Kerry Phelps

Kerry Phelps introduced the Alzheimers Society as the leading support charity for people with Alzheimers. As an organisation they’re increasing their reach irrespective of circumstances and engaging as many as 1000 people in their consultation processes. She introduced their new service ’Dementia Connect,’ a staged transitional process with five different tiers.

Dementia Connect was trialled in the Pennines, then Birmingham and is now being rolled out in Wales as an early adopter model. The programme followers a befriending model with a dementia support worker assigned to support people with their dementia journey from diagnosis, through to end of life. In Powys Anne Clark is the point of reference for South Powys, whilst Alvine Stewart has been newly appointed as the point of reference for North Powys, both posts offer 28 hours of support a week and are currently based in Talgarth.

The first point of access to the new service is by telephone call to a professional support hub, staffed by trained dementia workers, where each caller has the option to talk to a Welsh speaking support worker should they require it. Most people are able to access support and receive the support and help they need with triage and generalised support. However 70% of people whose queries cannot be dealt with there and then are escalated to the next level of tier 2 support.

Tier 2 support workers offer one to one support in the home with commissioned care plans. After the Tier 2 support has finished a KIT, ‘Keeping In Touch,’ support worker will proactively be in contact six months after the cessation of support to monitor progress and assess whether further support is required. This tiering of service is designed to prevent ‘slippage,’ of people falling through the net and not accessing the support they need.

Access to the service is possible via several pathways. The online referral portal is popular with 90% of current referrals from HSC professionals. Side by Side is a similar model to the Befriending model with the capacity to refer people to the service. Dementia Connect is slowly building momentum in Wales with 30 callers since January to the Welsh speaking support line. There is a wealth of information online with 100 factsheets on the website that anyone can easily access Publications and Factsheets Another useful service provided as part of Dementia Connect is an online talking point forum, lead by people with dementia and their carers, putting people at the heart of the service and helping people to truly connect, sharing support through lived experience, Talking Point - Online Community

Sue Newham, Engagement Officer - PAVO, with Frances Isaacs who spoke about living with dementia

Ambitions in later life

Gill Garner & Frances Isaacs facilitated this workshop looking at practical solutions for people living with dementia.

Finding out about new activities in local areas for people living with dementia - Jenny Hall / PAVO

Watch out for a separate blog post about this recent research project.

Q & A session

The afternoon session gave everybody attending the conference the chance to share their views and opinions about the network and how we shape and develop it moving forward. Sitting in a circle gave a real sense of coming together, connecting and sharing, rather than a “contribute from the floor, more formal feedback” session. The session began by asking what is the purpose of the network? How do we drive it forward? How do people have their needs met and what do we focus on next?

The consensus of opinion was that the service users are our priority and as such they should be more proactively involved in the network, giving us the insight and opportunity to take more purposeful action on specific services. It was suggested that a pre-meeting consultation could be held with a dementia steering group to determine what our focus should be. There was also a felt need to forge stronger, valuable links with other groups working towards a common goal such as the Alzheimer’s Focus on Dementia groups.

To actively engage people with dementia and to be led by their needs and requirements was commonly felt to the best way forward, considering how we actively engage communities, focussing on tangible issues that make a real difference on a daily basis. Recognising that we all need a plan for aging, asking ‘Are you OK? Can I help,’ are questions that can make a real difference to people’s lives.

Trish Buchan, trustee for Powys Teaching Health Board, summarised the day by saying that ‘Today is a giant step, we have moved forward and come a long way. PAVO’s Engagement Officer Sue Newham agreed and added, ‘big picture thinking starts with lots and lots of steps to get there,’ Lets see what else we can do to make a real difference to people’s lives and change what Frances Isaacs, an attendee living with dementia, calls ‘pyschobabble,’ to productive babble.

To sign up to the Powys Dementia Network and find out about future Awareness Days then please contact Sue Newham, Engagement Officer at PAVO, by emailing sue.newham@pavo.org.uk or ringing 01597 822191.