A look back - International Dementia Conference - Carers week - and 2filmed interviews NHS England & 6Cs Live

                                                   

Via our dementia carer voices team 

International Dementia Conference

Dementia Carer Voices were delighted to be invited to the International Dementia Conference in Edinburgh last week. This conference was organised after the G8 Summit Declaration in a bid to share knowledge and good practice around the world on improving the quality of care in dementia and the outcomes for people with dementia and their families and carers.

Our very own Irene Oldfather supported a workshop on the first day, which offered a fantastic opportunity to learn from colleagues and carers from all over the world, whilst colleague Tommy Whitelaw delivered a speech to delegates on the second day of the event. Tommy was in fantastic company, as the other speakers that morning included Geoff Huggins, the Acting Director of Health and Social Care Integration; Agnes Houston from the Scottish Dementia Working Group; Alex Neil, Cabinet Secretary for Health and Wellbeing; and Jeanette Maitlandfrom the National Dementia Carers Action Network.

The team was thrilled to be able to contribute to this discussion, and to be invited along to learn more. Highlights of the 2 day event included hearing from guest speakers from around the world.Gillian Ayling who has worked in the civil service for 21 years gave a fantastic  perspective of the landscape in Britain and Geoff Huggins spoke positively about the future in Scotland.

It was fantastic to hear from Professor Kim Woong Kim from Seoul Natinal University about the innovative ways that Korea have used technology to ensure that people are able to access information about dementia, including via an app on their phone. Furthermore, it was inspiring to hear from Dr Kentaro Horibe from the Department of Cognitive Disorders National Centre for Geriatrics and Gerontology about the culture in Japan of respect and understanding of dementia, and how people had really felt the impact of this in the way in which this compassion has been shown. Other speakers from the day included Drew Holzapfel, Marc Barlow, Jeremy Hughes, andGerry Martin.

The whole event was inspiring, and it was fantastic to be able to celebrate all of the wonderful work that is being done the world over to support people affected by dementia. We can all#makeadifference

Carers week 

 To mark Carers Week, last week was full of activities celebrating the fantastic job that carers do, and how to improve things for people with dementia and their carers.

Earlier in the week, Dementia Carer Voices was delighted to be invited to the International Conference on Dementia in Edinburgh which focused on improving the quality of care for people with dementia and their carers.

Tommy was also thrilled to appear on STV Glasgow’s Riverside Show to speak about the important role that carers play in the lives of people with dementia.

As part of the You Can Make A Difference Tour, Tommy was speaking to staff from NHS Ayrshire and Arran, who will be working with staff to help them fulfil their pledges.

Tommy was also excited to be invited down to the Central Borders to speak at a Borders Voluntary Care Voice event, who work to encourage more carers to get involved and have their voices heard.

We are delighted to have been a part of all of these events, so a big thank you to everyone involved in making these events so special. We can make a difference.

 In March, Tommy was thrilled to give 6 talks at the 2 day NHS Innovation Expo in Manchester. During his time there, he took part in interviews which have now been used in two films for NHS England and 6CS live.

The first interview forms part of  NHS England’s “Putting people first – delivering high quality care now, and for future generations” which you can view here or below.

“Putting people first – delivering high quality care now, and for future generations”

The second interview was used as part of the 6Cs Live!  advocacy section, in which Tommy talks about the importance of people and understanding. You can watch this below or by clicking here.