Transcript
[Beginning of recorded material]
[Title card: Connecting Peers 1:1 Peer Support Program]
Melissa Farley: Dementia Australia's Connecting Peers programme provides one-to-one peer support for people living with dementia and carers of people living with dementia. It provides opportunities for people to connect, and use their voice and stories to empower each other. Connecting Peers is delivered by volunteer peer leaders who understand the impact of a dementia diagnosis.
When you volunteer your time to be a peer leader, you are connected with individuals from across Australia who share similar experiences and interests. Your role is to listen, share insights, and empower others. Hi, I'm Mel, National Manager of Connecting Peers. In this video, we'll introduce the Connecting Peers programme and its purpose. You'll hear from current peer leaders who'll share their reasons for joining, and the benefits of the programme. Let's meet them now.
Scott: Hi. I am Scott. I'm a Peer Leader, and I love being a Peer Leader. I'm currently living well with dementia.
Bernadette: My name's Bernadette. I'm a Peer Leader with Dementia Australia. I was a carer for my dad, Bernie, and he had vascular dementia and Alzheimer's.
Michael: Hi. My name's Michael, and my experience is, I cared for my wife. She had Alzheimer's disease, and I cared for her for about five years.
Heather: Hello. I'm Heather, and I'm living with dementia. I'm a Peer Leader to Dementia Australia because it gives me great pleasure to interact with other people who are living with dementia.
[Title card: Why become a Peer Leader?]
Bernadette: Knowing that I'm supporting someone at a time when they are vulnerable, and remembering what it felt like to be in that position, is a really humbling and rewarding experience.
Scott: What I can offer is really having the shared experience, and the ability to be a positive role model because my life is different now, but it's not all bad. It's good.
Michael: I enjoy helping on the phone, and giving back some of the support or help that I received.
Heather: I've gained a very positive outlook on my future from reviewing my past with the peers that I've been working with, and they seem to enjoy the fact that they too can get there.
[Title card: What attributes should a Peer Leader have?]
Bernadette: You don't have to feel, as a peer leader, that you know the answers to everything or that you have to provide solutions for everything. They just need to be able to be empathetic and be a good listener.
Michael: I think my experience with living with my wife allows me to have some empathy or sympathy with the person that I'm speaking with.
Bernadette: Sometimes being the carer of someone living with dementia can be quite isolating, and you can feel like you don't have someone to talk to, or that your thoughts or feelings aren't heard. You spend a lot of time focusing on the person that you're caring for, so I think it's really important to have that opportunity to be able to speak to someone who's listening without judgement, and supporting you to have your voice heard.
Scott: I think it's important that I try and help people navigate through that process. I don't have a solution for it, they have to learn to navigate, and I think empowering others to navigate is important.
Michael: I'd like to be just a good listener. If he's any worries, he can get them off his chest.
Heather: It's just between you and me. We've both had the same treatment from the outside world, but you and me are together in this, just the two of us.
Melissa Farley: If you feel that becoming a peer leader is right for you, I warmly invite you to apply to join the Connecting Peers programme. Take the step today and make a difference that truly matters.
[Title card: Together we can reshape the impact of dementia]
[Title card: Dementia Australia. 1800 100 500. Dementia.org.au]
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