I was delighted to have an invite to the Young Dementia Network steering group.
Even more delighted that Hillary Doxford, Wendy Michell, and Keith Oliver, would also be there as sitting members of this group.
The steering group were very welcoming and for my part I thought they fully supported, the intentions of the 3NDWG with an interest in the information we had from our webinars around the difficulties of Covid19.
They recognised and affirmed many of the issues we had highlighted from the webinars (for more information visit 3NDWG) many similarities were expressed.
- Worries about losing confidence by lack of social interaction, engagement with groups
- Fears about impact on language and communication skills
- People want to help others – they are missing being able to contribute
- Long term psychological impact of social distancing including non-attendance at groups
- Supporting people through grief and bereavement
- Learning how to digitally connect – making the most of technologies such as Zoom and Alexa
- Tensions within relationships (especially within households)
- The importance of neighbourhoods – especially for people without families.
- Keeping in touch with people who have no means or inclination to be digitally connected.
I was impressed with all the contributions. The network is committed and organised in a way which allows genuine co-production and valued contributions.
For more information please visit Young Dementia UK.
My thanks to Tessa Gutteridge for invitation and Keith, Hillary, and Wendy for their support
Nigel