Peer Support Services

The Aim of the service is to provide peer-to-peer support to kidney patients and carers through peer mentoring to improve a patients quality of life. The Befriending Service recruits and trains kidney patients and carers to provide support, advice and information on treatment options, living and coping as a kidney patient or carer.

What the service provides:
• Supports patients at all stages of renal disease including pre-dialysis, dialysis, pre and post transplantation.
• At any of the stages concerns and worries can occur. Sharing these concerns and worries with a patient or carer who has first hand knowledge of such experiences and is both willing and trained to help, often helps alleviate many of these concerns.
• Supports patients of all ages.
• Kidney patients families or carers can benefit from this service.
• Emotional support.
• Information on treatment options.
• Advice and support on ‘living and adapting’ as a patient.
• Signposting to other services.
• Helps new patients understand that despite having to encounter difficulties and continually facing fresh challenges, life goes on and that all is not lost even though chronic illness has been diagnosed.
• One to one sessions.
• Telephone sessions.
• Invited to educational events run by Renal Units for them to have an opportunity to share experiences with new patients. Format often differs between units.