How can we harness the power and value of peer support for people living with dementia?
We are starting to understand the power and value of peer support for people living with dementia. Peer support is routinely advocated in policy and strategies for dementia care across the UK – but access to opportunities varies and the waiting lists can be long.
People with dementia are finding new ways of supporting each other through user-led influencing groups (see the DEEP website – www.dementiavoices.org.uk), blogging and social media.
Some thoughts from people attending groups for people with dementia
“We’re all in the same boat and we don’t need to worry who is listening”
“I feel so much love and support in the group”
Like Minds – Oxfordshire
“It’s the best group I’ve ever seen”
FIT – Bradford
“Our group is a lifeline”
Friends together: Redditch and Bromsgrove
“It’s the most wonderful choir you’ve ever heard”
Vocal Flourish Choir: York
“I’ve never had so many laughs in my life. It’s a short life you have.”
“The group was a chance to share what was like having a rocket shoved up your backside.”
“This group pulled me out of it – because they’d been through it. They helped us come to terms.”
Springboard: Rochdale
“We’re just coming out of the shadows”
Dementia Working Group: Ireland