The impact of coaching on carers of those with dementia
"I don't feel alone now."
The moving response from a participant at the end of yesterday's very special coaching programme for a group of carers, supported by the Tibbs Dementia Foundation here in Bedford.
Doing voluntary work for the Tibbs Foundation is one of the most rewarding parts of my work. Together with another volunteer, we facilitate a regular support group for Carers here in Bedford who are supporting their loved ones who have Lewy Body dementia.
As you can imagine, the emotional and physical load is enormous for our carers from the relentless demands of daily physical care, often a lack of sleep, managing medication, going to medical appointments and being an advocate to the deep sadness, grief and loss that is so hard. On top of that, many of the carers are often facing their own health challenges as well. It is actually impossible to imagine how they cope.
Having listened to their concerns that were coming up regularly in our sessions, we decided to design a coaching programme over two mornings especially for them called: "Be Heard" where we looked at building confidence and resilience and managing chronic stress.
We encouraged carers to look back at their previous roles in life both professionally and at home to see what strengths they could draw on from the past and this was pivotal. Drawing on our strengths in times of huge transition, rather than looking only for the skills' gaps builds confidence.
Most of all we wanted to provide a calm place to talk and think. To cry. To laugh. To share.
I could've just recorded a video on how to manage difficult conversations with tips to manage time or stress and a couple of relaxation exercises, but we know that the real difference is in the sharing and exploring solutions to the same problems. As one participant said, "When I'm in the middle of it all tomorrow, I know now that there's someone else who understands."
Here's just a selection of the comments from the end of the session:
"I feel empowered. I know now I'm doing a lot right. Sharing with this group has been the best part."
"I feel less overwhelmed and more confident."
"I can ask for help."
"I can cope."
"I feel more human."
We will continue to support this group in the months to come as life unfortunately, gets more difficult.
I would love to see a coaching approach used more widely alongside "training" when supporting groups. Helping participants to build their confidence and create their own solutions is so powerful.
For more info about Tibbs: https://lnkd.in/eJNudwHc