Dementia envoys
KMPT’s Dementia Envoys are keen to increase public awareness of dementia.
They are living well with dementia and contribute to the development of KMPT services by being a source of knowledge, advice and consultation. They are all people living with dementia who are registered KMPT volunteers, supported by Older People’s psychology.
KMPT now has five Dementia Envoys:
- Keith Oliver
- Chris Norris
- Tracey Shorthouse
- Keith Day
- Gill Ashington
Between them, they have been involved in an impressive variety of activities. These include:
- Speaking at Kent and national conferences on topics such as living well with dementia, young-onset dementia, the behavioural aspects of frontotemporal dementias, compassionate nursing for those with dementia and Tom Kitwood's person-centred care approach
- Working within KMPT on recruitment, staff training and service developments
- Supporting KMPT Dementia Engagement and Empowerment groups
- Working with housing organisations to help them be more dementia-friendly and get more people in care homes involved in the Dementia Diaries project
- Reviewing NHS services with the Memory Services National Accreditation Programme
- Contributing to publications including the Dementia Manifesto by Hughes and Williamson, which sets out aims for healthcare professionals to change and improve dementia care, and The Hospital Charter, which aims to make hospitals dementia-friendly
- Involved in research projects as advisors and participants.
For more about the envoy role, see Keith’s book which was published in April 2019 called "Dear Alzheimer's - A Diary of Living with Dementia". The book is available to purchase from Waterstones
Retired Dementia Envoys:
Webinars
Take a look at these well received webinars given by KMPT staff, students and Dementia Envoys for the Three Nations dementia working group:
The Blog post inspired by our latest webinar on Technology by Faith Frost for the Association for Dementia Studies is now live on their website.
Tree of Life
Listen to Dr Elizabeth Field and dementia envoys Keith Oliver and Chris Norris, deliver a webinar on the 'Tree of Life'
The Tree of Life is a narrative therapy that helps people tell their stories in ways that make them stronger.
