Information

The Paul Popham Fund, Renal Support Wales provides support to all kidney patients and their families in Wales.

We understand that due to the ongoing pandemic, many patients and families are experiencing additional difficulty in sourcing essential items such as food and medications. As a charity, we are here to help. We have a team of volunteers who are available to assist with essential activities such as delivering essential food items, transporting items to/from hospitals & posting letters.

If you need assistance with the above tasks, or anything else, and do not have support from family, friends, neighbours or social services, please get in touch with our Careline on 0800 038 8989.

All support is assessed on an individual basis. Due to limited volunteer availability, this service is limited to the Swansea Bay University Health Board area.

We also provide various emotional support services to All Welsh kidney patients and families.

Peer Mentor Service – Our trained Peer Mentors are available to provide telephone support to all patients and family members. Peer Mentors are patients/carers with lived experience of kidney disease, and can offer information, advice and a friendly listening ear. To access this service, contact 0800 038 8989.

Counselling Service – We provide free counselling for all kidney patients and family members. Living with kidney disease can be extremely difficult and often stressful, even more so during the current pandemic. Our counsellor can provide confidential emotional support to assist with a variety of issues. To access this service, contact 0800 038 8989.

Support Groups – We provide a variety of support groups for patients undergoing all types of renal replacement treatment. Due to COVID-19 we have developed these groups online and through virtual meetings to continue to support patients and families. For details on how to join these online groups and/or to join the virtual meetings, contact 0800 038 8989.

If you need assistance with any of the above, or anything else, please contact us on 0800 038 8989 or email support@paulpophamfund.co.uk

About Kidney Disease

There are around 10,000 people with renal disease in Wales and many more at risk from this disease. Renal disease is the reduced ability of the kidney to carry out the following functions in the long-term: Maintain blood pressure; Maintain the correct levels of chemicals in our bodies which, in turn, helps our heart and muscles to function properly; Produce a type of vitamin D that keeps bones healthy; and Produce a substance called erythropoietin, which helps stimulate the production of red blood cells.

Renal disease is often caused by the strain placed on the kidneys by other conditions, most commonly diabetes and high blood pressure. Renal disease is common and mainly associated with ageing. It is estimated that about one in five men and one in four women between the ages of 65 and 74 has some degree of renal disease.

There is no cure for chronic kidney disease, although treatment can slow or halt the progression of the disease and can prevent other serious conditions developing. People with renal disease are known to have an increased risk of a heart attack because of changes that occur to the circulation. Renal disease may cause kidney failure, also known as established renal failure (ERF) or end-stage kidney disease. In this situation, the usual functions of the kidney stops working.

To survive, people with ERF may need to have artificial kidney treatment, called dialysis, or a kidney transplant. Being diagnosed with chronic kidney disease is very worrying for the individual and the family unit. The Paul Popham Fund, Renal Support Wales is a charity based in Swansea which supports Renal Patients throughout Wales including adults, children and youths with Renal Failure.

Q&A’s

Paul Popham Fund – Shielding and mental health Q&A

Transplant patients and Paul Popham Fund volunteers, Jamie and Alison, share their experiences on shielding as a result of COVID-19 and its effect on their lifestyles and mental health.

First Home Therapies Virtual Q&A – Explore and give it a go!

This virtual discussion is a general overview of home therapies, where one of our Peer Mentors, Hayleigh Isaac, shared her personal experience of home hemodialysis with Gail Williams, Lead Nurse of the Welsh Renal Clinical Network, and Joanne Popham, CEO of the Charity.

Please bear in mind that this Q&A is based on personal experiences and is not to be used as a clinical guideline. The opinions provided throughout the discussion and within the document reflect personal views of participants and should by no means be used to change dialysis prescriptions without seeking professional consultation.

We advise all patients to seek approval from their appropriate supervisors and their renal consultants before making any changes to treatment or care.