Follow us
What Is Peer Support?
The Peer Support Service is a national online service provided by the Irish Kidney Association. The Peer Support service is for people living with end stage kidney disease and is provided by patients (peers) who have gone through similar experiences themselves.
Peer Support is intended to complement the care and education you receive from your kidney healthcare team and is an additional service which is available if you want it.
Real Stories, Real Impact
To truly understand how our Peer Support service can make a difference, who better to explain it than those who have walked the path themselves?
Watch this video to see how four individuals found solace, strength, and support through connecting with peers who genuinely understand their journey.
How to access this service
Who this service is for?
Adults living with kidney disease
Kidney transplant recipients
Family members, partners and carers
How this service can help you
Share your experiences in a safe space
Learn from real-life experiences
Connect with someone who understands
How to access this service
You can contact us yourself, or ask a family member, carer or hospital staff member to get in touch on your behalf.
Become a Peer Support Volunteer
Have you lived experience with kidney disease?
You could make a real difference by supporting others.
Share your experience
Help someone feel less alone
Receive training and support
Peer Support Volunteer Information Evening
We hosted an online information evening via Zoom for individuals interested in joining our Peer Support Programme as volunteers.
This session was designed for patients or family members who have firsthand experience of living with end-stage kidney disease. During the session, attendees had the opportunity to learn about the expectations and training involved in becoming a volunteer.
Patient Support Team
Lisa Toland
Peer Support Coordinator
Peer Support
Frequently Asked Questions
Peer Support is a chance to talk, one‑to‑one, with someone who truly understands what kidney disease is like because they’ve lived through it themselves.
Through the Irish Kidney Association’s Peer Support Service, you can speak with a trained volunteer who has personal experience of kidney failure.
– haemodialysis
– peritoneal dialysis
– kidney transplantation
– being a family member or carer
It’s not medical advice or formal counselling. It’s a safe, friendly space to talk to someone who “gets it”, to ask questions, share worries, and hear how another person has coped.
Our Peer Support Volunteers:
– Are patients or family members who have first-hand experience of living with end stage kidney disease e.g dialysis or transplanted
– Have completed training to provide peer support
– Come from across Ireland and have a wide range of ages, backgrounds, interests and life experiences.
Peer Support volunteers are not medical experts or trained counsellors and cannot offer advice about medical treatments, kidney diseases or medications.
You can talk about almost anything that kidney disease touches in your life, including:
– being newly diagnosed with kidney disease
– managing treatment alongside work, education or family life
– feeling tired, low, anxious or overwhelmed
– how kidney disease affects children, parents or partners
Peer supporters do not give medical instructions, but they can share what helped them and encourage you to speak with your kidney team about medical decisions.
You can usually access Peer Support through directly filling out the self referral form on our website or asking a member of your health care team to complete the health care provider referral form on your behalf.
Yes, what you share with a peer supporter is treated as confidential within the Peer Support Service.
In those a rare situation, where there is a serious concern about your immediate safety or the safety of someone else, they may need to contact the IKA team or appropriate services to keep you safe. This is explained clearly to both volunteers and participants.
No. The Peer Support Service provided by the Irish Kidney Association is free of charge.
Peer Support will be provided online over Zoom. We will provide a link for you to join your Zoom call.
We will do our best to match you with someone whose experience is relevant to your situation.
While it’s not always possible to meet every preference, the IKA will always try to find a match that feels right for you.
If you have personal experience of kidney disease – as a patient or close family member – and you feel ready to support others, the IKA would be delighted to hear from you.
Please fill out the form to become a Peer Support Volunteer.
