John's story -Supporting LGBTQ+ people affected by dementia

[TamsinT]

When John Hammond's mother was diagnosed with dementia, he wanted to give back to the charities like Alzheimer's Society who had helped him and his mother.

"I wanted to give something back, desperately, as soon as I was able to, and I’ve been volunteering with the Society for around five years."

He also noticed that there was a need for dementia support specifically for LGBTQ+ people due to the unique problems they face.

He now does voluntary work to improve support for LGBTQ+ people with dementia, including running a "Rainbow Cafe" in Hove.

"The Rainbow Café is a safe, affirming space for LGBTQ+ people to come together. It’s very welcoming, and there’s no need to keep coming out. You can be free, be your entire self in a support service."

You can read more about John and the work he does with Switchboard in the blog article here.
Please feel free to comment on what you think of the article!

 

[Izzy]

Thanks @TamsinT. It’s heartwarming to read about The Rainbow Cafe and John’s work.

 

[Gosling]

Absolutely, such a positive and heartwarming article. Brilliant that John is able to do and coordinate all he does. Great stuff