Experiencing a heart diagnosis or stroke can feel isolating – it can be difficult to talk about how you feel or the symptoms you may be living with. This is where peer support comes in. Peer support involves bringing people with a similar lived experience together to share knowledge, offer support and create a safe and understanding environment in which you can recover or learn self-management skills.
Peer support can come in many different forms. It can be a formal experience delivered by trained staff in a healthcare setting, or it can be informal. It can include face-to-face meetings, phone calls, online forums, patient groups or 1:1 support and take place on a weekly, monthly or ongoing basis.
More people are recognising the positive impact of peer support in improving a person’s experience and health outcomes. Peer support has been shown to empower people and allow them to find their voice when speaking about their experiences. It offers companionship and friendship, can boost confidence and self-esteem and reduce feelings of isolation. Most importantly, it gives people a sense of belonging and mutual understanding, and allows them to learn new skills and strategies that help with their recovery or help them manage their condition.
Peer support is at the heart of the Irish Heart Foundation (IHF) and we have a variety of supports to empower, assist and connect people. If you’re feeling nervous about getting involved with peer support, a great place to start is our Let’s Talk telephone service.
It’s good to talk: Our Let’s Talk peer telephone service
Our Let’s Talk telephone service is all about connection. Made up of volunteers who have lived experience of a heart diagnosis or stroke or experience caring for someone living with cardiovascular disease, our Let’s Talk service offers you an understanding and friendly voice on the other end of the line.
Our volunteers have been trained and are fully supported by our Let’s Talk programme lead. For this service, we try to match people with similar experiences so both volunteers and members get benefit from their calls together.
From social chats to sharing experiences and connecting callers to other information and support services available through the IHF, our telephone service is a great way to speak with others who know and understand what it can be like to experience a heart event or stroke, or live with cardiovascular disease.
Our Let’s Talk telephone service is available on completion of our Heart Connect and Stroke Connect service.
Please call our Nurse Support Line on 01 688 5001. They’ll be happy to tell you more about Let’s Talk.
We’re always looking for volunteers who would like to share their experience and time with others. If you’re interested in getting involved, email IHFvolunteer@irishheart.ie or see our volunteering information.
2025-06-20
