Rural stress in the spotlight

 

Funded by the Welsh Assembly Government, Rural Support Wales (RSW) provides advice, information and support for people living in rural Wales who are suffering from stress.

 

The project, which is co-ordinated by the Institute of Rural Health, has run for six years and is awaiting a decision from the Welsh Assembly about future funding.

  

RSW says it has found that one of the most successful ways of spreading information about the services available has been to set up a stand at livestock marts. Community nurses offer free blood pressure testing and people attending the market learn about the full range of support services and health information available. 

 

“Farmers are encouraged onto the stand to have their blood pressure tested,” said Helen Porter, project co-ordinator for the IRH. “Some of the younger farmers have never had their blood pressure tested and those with high readings are advised to make an appointment with their doctor.

 

“In the more informal set-up of the mart, they may then start talking about the stresses they are experiencing. Auctioneers welcome our presence at the mart, saying that farmers are far more likely to access services there than to go down to the surgery. Nurses are enthusiastic because they are making contact with a sometimes hard to reach group.”

 

RSW has also worked with other initiatives that are promoting health and wellbeing. Thanks to a partnership between Dyfed Powys Police, local police officers are now being trained in psychiatric settings to improve their communications with mental health services.

 

Mrs Porter added there had been a positive response to services provided by Rural Support Wales over the past three years.

 

“The success of an initiative such as this, which is built around providing information that may be helpful to people, is very hard to measure,” she added. “It’s impossible to record the number of people who have been helped to cope, who haven’t needed serious mental health input.

 

“However, there has been a positive response from many people to our cards, leaflets and website - www.ruralsupportwales.org.uk - and the growth of constructive partnerships has been very encouraging.

 

“Co-operation with, for example, home fire safety officers has meant that they carry the little RSW information cards to hand out to householders, while their campaign to encourage farmers to take up the offer of free home fire safety checks has been promoted by the farming representatives on our project steering group.

 

“Similar co-operation occurs with police community support officers and with other groups that go out into the rural community, including mobile library drivers and Age Concern Community Buddies.”

  

Formed 14 years ago, the IRH is a UK-wide academic charity, working to inform, develop and promote the health and wellbeing of rural people and their communities. Its three main academic programme areas are research, education and training and policy analysis, including rural proofing.