Today, Cath shares with us the story of Lynda’s first Circle.  It is an inspiring story and also shows the use of technology when people cannot physically meet up for a Circle.

Starting the Journey

Lynda is warm, welcoming, kind and patient.  She has been married to Alan for over 30 years, meeting as childhood sweethearts, they have two grown up sons and two grandsons.  Family is really important to both Lynda and Alan and delight spreads across her face when she talks about them.

Lynda is living with dementia and had her first circle get together last week.  Myself, Alan and Lynda had chatted about Community Circles and used the relationship map to think about the people in her life and who she would like to invite to her circle.  As facilitator, when I got in touch with people to invite them to the circle, there was a common response of “Oh, that sounds lovely” and lovely it was.

Family joined in via Skype (even grandsons sneaked down from bedrooms to wave to us all) and friends came filling the living room with a delightful energy that comes from people coming together for a common purpose.  The purpose of Lynda’s circle is to maintain her friendships and support her well-being.

We had a round of introductions and then all shared a happy memory of a time spent with Lynda.  This included time spent working together when younger, when they first met as friends, having their Christian faith in common, watching a show together and spending time chatting over lunch.  One couple reminisced how they were introduced to each other by Lynda nearly 40 years ago.

Through conversations we are already beginning to discover what good support looks like for Lynda and will be exploring this further next time at Lynda’s person centred review.

There was a lovely feeling in the room, friendships based on history and shared interests, lots of laughter and relaxed company.   Circles are an intimate gathering, where you are invited into the heart of a family, where all contributions are valued, where positive changes can be made.  It’s a real privilege to facilitate Lynda’s circle and be part of the journey.

Community Circles

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