Peer-to-Peer Connections
A peer-led space for people living with home nutrition support and their caregivers.
Peer-to-Peer Connections is a patient-facilitated support group where people can share the day-to-day experiences of living with home nutrition support, including enteral nutrition (feeding tube) and parenteral nutrition (IV nutrition).
Whether home nutrition support is new to you or has been part of your life for years, you are welcome to join the conversation, ask questions, listen, share practical ideas and connect with others who understand.
Who Is This Group For?
People Living with Nutrition Support
Peer-to-Peer Connections is open to people living with home enteral or parenteral nutrition at any stage of their nutrition support journey.
Caregivers
Caregivers who support someone living with home nutrition support are also welcome to participate, share experiences and connect with others.
What Is the Purpose?
Peer-to-Peer Connections was created as a safe, supportive space for people with lived experience of nutrition support, and for the caregivers who support them.
The group provides an opportunity to talk, ask questions, share practical ideas, learn from one another, hear different perspectives and build connections in an environment free from judgement.
A Peer Support Space
This group is led by people with lived experience and is not a source of medical advice or a substitute for advice from your healthcare team.
At the heart of the group is a simple idea: there can be real value in hearing someone else say, “me too.”
What to Expect
Informal & Conversational
There is no need to prepare anything before attending. You are welcome to bring questions or topics you would like to discuss, but there is no expectation that you participate in every conversation.
Share only what you are comfortable sharing. It is also completely okay to attend simply to listen.
Join from Anywhere
Meetings are held virtually on Zoom. Login links and instructions are provided after registration.
You do not need to be struggling or in crisis to attend. Any time can be a good time to connect with people who understand the day-to-day experience of home nutrition support.
Questions, concerns, or want to connect with the facilitators outside a session?
[email protected]
Upcoming Peer-to-Peer Sessions
We are still a relatively new group and continue to test different meeting times to find what works best for the community. Dates and times below are tentative and may change.
Thursday, October 22
Time: 10:00 AM PDT / 1:00 PM EDT
Registration: Coming soon
Thursday, November 26
Time: 10:00 AM PDT / 12:00 PM EST
Registration: Coming soon
December
Date & Time: To be determined
Registration: Details to come
Thursday, January 14
Time: 6:00 PM PDT / 8:00 PM EST
Registration: Details to come
Thursday, February 11
Time: 6:00 PM PDT / 8:00 PM EST
Registration: Details to come
Thursday, March 11
Time: 6:00 PM PDT / 8:00 PM EST
Registration: Details to come
Please note: meeting dates and times are tentative and may change as we continue to determine the schedule that works best for participants.
Meet the Peer-to-Peer Facilitators
Sharlene Baergen-Fladager
Sharlene has lived with Crohn’s disease for over 40 years and short bowel syndrome and parenteral nutrition for over 20 years. Her own journey has taught her that living well with a complex medical condition involves more than medical care.
Peer connection has helped her feel more confident navigating life with nutrition support, provided answers to everyday questions that healthcare teams cannot always answer and, perhaps most importantly, brought friendships with people who truly understand.
As a co-facilitator of the Peer-to-Peer Connections group, Sharlene has seen these same benefits emerge for others. She believes that sometimes the most healing thing we can offer another person is simply the reassurance of “me too.” She always looks forward to meeting new people at the sessions.
Catherine Richardson
Catherine has lived with gastroparesis and intestinal dysmotility secondary to autoimmune disease since 2009 and has been on enteral and/or parenteral nutrition since 2013.
When she first started nutrition support, she did not know anyone in a similar situation. She remembers both the relief and joy of eventually connecting with others who understood. Some of her closest friendships today grew from shared medical and healthcare experiences.
Catherine believes peer connections are important not only for individual quality of life, but also for improving healthcare by helping strengthen patient voices and lived-experience perspectives.
Interested in Joining a Session?
Come as you are, participate at your own comfort level and connect with people who understand the realities of living with home nutrition support.
Registration information will be added to the upcoming session details above as it becomes available.
Questions? Contact [email protected].