Dementia Peer Support Project

Dementia Peer Support Project funded by Brent CCG and donations.

Bollywood style interactive dance session at the launch

Dianne Campbell is interviewed by Eddie Mair for BBC Radio 4. Click here to listen to The Eddie Mair Interview.

Unlike other Dementia Peer Support Projects the journey of the Brent Dementia Peer Support Project from its inception to reality has been based on the principle of development and delivery by people and for people living with dementia. During the Winter of 2014 we talked with with over 80 Brent residents consisting of people living with dementia and their carers . In the Summer of 2015, ethnographic research based of the conversations was carried out again with people living with dementia and their carers. The results of this research formed the basis for the development of Brent Dementia Peer Support service. The results showed that what was important for people post diagnosis was a peer support project for people living with dementia to share their experiences and develop activities in the community that were of interest to them and provide information, resources, advice and guidance for carers.

The distinctive factor about this service is that, not only was it devised by people living with dementia but that the service is delivered by people with dementia. Peer Supporters deliver the group and 1-1 session and decide on the content and activities they want to do. This model is different from other projects where the programme is prescribed and sessions run by statutory organisations. Peers supporters are involved in dementia training for health professionals and others in the community and help to influence services and businesses to become more dementia friendly.

This project is a partnership between Ashford Place and CAD-Brent . Danny is chair of CAD-Brent and it is a charity that he and colleagues from Brent set up two years ago with the mission of creating a dementia friendly Brent.

Ashford Place is managing and delivering the project in all its aspects and CAD Brent as a partner works with us to ensure that the project is progressing effectively. CAD-Brent continues to develop its own work towards a dementia friendly borough and the two of us are mutually inclusive.