Mobility Mentor training experiences so far

Owen Atkinson reflects on experiences learned so far in the Mobility Mentor training, and how you can get involved.

Mobility Mentors will remember from their training that delivering the Healthy Feet Programme successfully is as much about people skills and facilitating change, as it is about being a lameness expert. This was demonstrated in the original and effective Healthy Feet Project where the main facilitators were research assistants and technicians.

Covid forced us to go online for Mobility Mentor training this past year - and we must admit that this made us nervous. How could online training replicate what the original face-to-face workshops did, where the programme was always demonstrated using real farms and real situations? And with real farmers with their real barriers, expectations and concerns? 

Actually, we now realise that the modular online training (see Table 1) works very well to get across the technical bits, and the basics of how to deliver the programme. It is also has the advantages of convenience that online training brings. Thankfully, the feedback has been great too.

Nevertheless, we insisted on preserving a face-to-face element to complete the training, and that is Module Four. This is a one-day catch up for nascent Mobility Mentors, on farm, once delegates have had a chance to do at least one practice Healthy Feet or Healthy Feet Lite with one of their clients. 

Table 1: Modules of the Healthy Feet Programme.

We (Nick, Sara and Owen) have delivered seven of these days now, and we thought it is worth sharing with you how they have gone down. The format is that delegates arrive on the host farm, and we begin the day by each person giving a very brief overview of a case. This usually includes where the successes and difficulties were.

Then, there is a practical coaching session to help resolve any difficulties people have had. Examples have included lack of confidence in foot trimming skills (of the MM); difficulty keeping the farmers’ motivation; and struggling to find time to do the programme. 

We have kept the group sizes small so everyone gets a chance to be coached by the others. We facilitate, and provide guidance where necessary. The idea is to help people resolve their difficulties, certainly, and also to practice useful coaching and communication skills in a low-pressure environment.

Perhaps more profoundly, the exercise allows people to experience what the farmer should experience: the opportunity to resolve one’s own problems through skilled questioning and listening. 

The session was summed up by one recent delegate who had his own lightbulb moment: “I really didn’t think that would work. I came here with this problem that I thought was unsolvable, because I have already been thinking a lot about it and I couldn’t see a way forward. I have joined in with the exercise so far just to go along with things, to keep Owen happy, thinking all the time that it wouldn’t work on me and it was a load of baloney, but I’m amazed!

"During my turn of being the coachee, just allowing me to talk through the issue, and being heard, it seems to have opened up new ways of thinking that I’d never have done before. It also made me see how annoying it is when people don’t listen properly and just keep trying to give you advice!” (Thanks Rich - you know who you are!) 

The afternoon session is spent doing a HFLite on the host farm, as a group. This is, first establishing the main lesion type(s) and then concentrating on the parts of the HF checklist relevant to that problem.

The action plan (Mobility Contract) is established in the usual HFP way, facilitated by a volunteer from the group. Again, an opportunity to practice in a low-stress environment. A final round-up from the farmer, learning what he/she thought of the process, finishes the day. 

Module Four is focussed mainly on the communication-skills side of things, but inevitably there is plenty of technical discussion too, which I think we all enjoy. Maybe you can think of it as a self-help group for Mobility Mentors. We have been blown away with peoples’ enthusiasm, and their willingness to help each other and offer support - and yes, sometimes, advice. Sara has summarised some of the Top Tips she has heard in the next article. 

Mobility Mentor training

Module Four is the essential final part of Mobility Mentor training - you need it to get your “Healthy Feet Mobility Mentor badge”, certificate and to be included on the MM list. Experienced Mobility Mentors are also invited to join in a Module Four CPD day: it is a great refresher and we think you will find it a highly valuable and enjoyable day. The next Module Four training day is in Cheshire on Tuesday 30 November, with Owen. Details from BCVA.