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Founded and run by people living with autoimmune disease, the Wren Project is a place where people diagnosed with autoimmune disease (Wrens) can talk about loneliness and social isolation -especially prevalent at Christmas- through active listening sessions with our trained volunteers.
Categories
Beneficiaries
Situation
In the UK, four million people (78% of whom are women) currently live with autoimmune conditions, and cases are rising by a huge 9% each year. There are more than 80 different types of autoimmune diseases. They are chronic, frequently leading to lower quality of life, and can even be life-threatening. It is unsurprising that 50% of people diagnosed experience depressive symptoms.These symptoms can be exacerbated over the festive period with Wrens feeling increased distress from social isolation.
Solution
We address the inadequate, inaccessible, or inexistent access to emotional and psychosocial support for people diagnosed with autoimmune disease (Wrens). We offer Wrens free, ongoing, active listening support. Paired with a trained volunteer Wrens are supported for a minimum of 3 months (with online sessions every fortnight, lasting 50 mins). After just 3 months we see a marked improvement in our four core outcomes: loneliness, resilience, distress and ability to manage disease.
