Finally some people are taking gentle first steps to meet up with their groups. Steve and Cynth met up in Nottingham with ‘In at the DEEP End’ (a swimming group with no pool at the moment). Their own group ‘Friends for Life’ are planning to do a socially distanced meet up (with PPE) on April 20th.
Springboard have also had their first venture out into the cold Oldham air – but it was worth it- more people joined than are able to join on Zoom. Paul said he thought that you could see how people had ‘moved on in their dementia’ in the last year. We wondered about the lost confidence in people and whether once people re-gain confidence there will be an element of recovery.
George sees the lifting of lockdown as an opportunity to help people connect with technology who have not been able to in the last 12 months. George referred back to the wonderful work James presented from Making Space in Derby about easy access apps (like Zoom) on tablets. Paul commented on the different programme they had set up which involved even less processes.
We discussed if groups who were going to now be meeting in person would continue to meet on Zoom as well. Prior to lockdown many groups only met every month.
Peter mentioned the small world of social media and how he was able to connect with somebody he knew from Northamptonshire who has now been diagnosed with dementia and living in Edinburgh. He also mentioned that he is working with DEEP thred in Liverpool on the launch of their EP towards the end of April! Just loving the weaving that goes on!
We also talked about the sustainability and investment in groups. Chris mentioned that as a result of their connections with their local DAA that they had managed to collect activity resources for their group members.
We talked about the need for communities to support and invest in peer support groups. From peer support we have seen how much confidence grows to enable voices to be heard in consultation. The possible future landscape of what communities could look like with independent groups supported by, for example, their GP practice, their supermarket or a charity. We all shared our sense of dismay at the sense of loss of groups, which have become a lifeline for so many.
Finally Steve was keen to talk about the Tovertafel ‘Magic Table’ which his group have been fundraising to purchase (They cost about £5,000). Steve was becoming a bit cautious as he couldn’t get any answers from any of the sales people who have been trying to flog him one about what people with dementia say about the table. We briefly talked about the amount of gadgets and bits and pieces which are designed for people with dementia but people with dementia have never been involved in the development process. If you have any feedback about the table and you live with dementia please get in touch! We suggested perhaps we could ask the company to come to a Gathering of people living with dementia and get some feedback and maybe even a free table????!
Next week, Wednesday 14th April, Philly and Damian would like to discuss power and control within your groups. To book your place please email Anna@myid.org.uk
