“I don’t believe I’ve just done that!” Teresa told the group yesterday.
That was how she had felt as she left a lecture hall of nursing students at Manchester Metropolitan University. It had been Teresa’s first speaking engagement and she was still on a high, having spoken so clearly and passionately about what people like her need – from the public in general but from health professionals in particular.
Then Maria and Ronnie shared their stories of speaking at a conference at Manchester Central, and Maria played the recording of her interview on local radio. It’s been a busy month and they’ve only just started!
Fabulous, Forgetful Friends is a project of Together Dementia Support CIC. Together Dementia Support is a not-for-profit Community Interest Company offering support and therapeutic activities for people living with dementia, their carers and supporters in Manchester.
Fabulous Forgetful Friends is a new peer support and influencing group which aims to empower those living with dementia in Manchester. They want to show that people with dementia are making a positive contribution to society and can enjoy life. This is not to say that the difficulties of living with dementia are ignored. The group will act firstly as a safe space where those with dementia can share their experiences of the many challenges it brings. Rather than simply discussing its challenges, however, Fabulous Forgetful Friends also seeks to make the lives of those with dementia better, and will provide a platform for its members to educate and influence others in order to make public services more dementia friendly.
Together Dementia Support provide high quality activity and support groups to help people with dementia to maintain skills and hobbies, and to enable both them and their carers to make friends and maintain wellbeing.