Jennifer and Sheila: Two peas in a pod

Jennifer and Sheila, who is living with vascular dementia, first met two years ago through a befriending service. With a shared love of music and dancing – and a wicked sense of humour – they hit it off instantly and have remained firm friends ever since.

Jennifer says: “When I first met Sheila we just hit it off straight away and got on so well. I was her befriender at that point but when the funding for that service ran out, I didn’t want to stop seeing her. She’s such a bubbly, fun person and we have a real laugh together.

“We both love music and dancing and every week I take her to the Alzheimer Scotland dementia resource centre in Kilmarnock for the live music event. When I pick her up her face just lights up.

“I take her to church every Sunday and we also recently went to Dumfries House for an afternoon tea. It’s great having other people to chat to and I can see it lifts her.

“Sheila recently bought me flowers to thank me for everything I do for her, but I get just as much out of it as she does. We are two peas in a pod and I love her to bits.”

Sheila says: “When I met Jennifer, we just clicked. She’s a good friend to me and we both have a similar wicked sense of humour. Before meeting Jennifer, I didn’t get out very much and my social life was poor.

“But now we go out to different places each week and have a good laugh together.

“We both enjoy the music events each week at the Kilmarnock centre – we’re never off the dance floor. Our friendship has made such a difference to my life and we’ve never looked back.”