blog
Zoom brings people living with dementia together
Since the start of the pandemic in March 2020, Trent Dementia have been facilitating Zoom coffee and chat sessions, craft activities and an online peer support group. More recently there’s been a series of short talks too.
The Zoom platform works well overall. It’s provided an opportunity for people to meet existing and new friends virtually.
As there are no physical boundaries, it’s also possible for folk from a much wider area to join in.
Breakout rooms can be used if people find the sessions overwhelming.
The Trent Dementia team are also able to offer support to anyone struggling to get connected.
There are of course downsides to using Zoom. Some people aren’t online, don’t have a device that would work with Zoom or aren’t interested in joining virtual meetings.
And whilst Zoom is definitely not a replacement for face-to-face meetings, it does offer a different opportunity to connect people living with and affected by dementia.
Ghazal Mazloumi
Project DeveloperTrent Dementia
Ghazal is a Project Development Worker and administrator officer for Trent Dementia charity at the Institute of Mental Health in Nottingham. She has an MA in Counselling, MSc in Substance Misuse and BA in General Psychology. Ghazal is a graduate member of British Psychological Society. She has been working in the mental health sector since 2016. Ghazal's role in the Trent Dementia Empowerment Program is to support people living with and affected by dementia to establish peer support and advisory groups and activities across the East Midlands, and to organise events. She writes about her experience on the Trent Dementia charity blog. She is now facilitating a free monthly walking group for people living with dementia and their supporters at Highfields Park. Ghazal is starting another free walking group for people affected by dementia at Stonebridge City Farm in Nottingham.