Advocacy officer, Laura Reid (pictured, right), repeats a quote from the Opening Day speech of Dr Helen Rochford Brennan, Chair of the European Working Group and member of the Irish Dementia Working Group: “I urge you to think of the theme of the conference: ‘Making Valuable Connections’ as PPI (Person Public Involvement) is critical to success”. The passionate intentions of those in attendance was clearly conveyed by the prolonged round of applause which followed this speech.
As advocacy officer for The Alzheimer Society of Ireland, Laura’s main responsibility is the Dementia Carers Campaign Network (DCCN), which is a group of volunteer family carer advocates. One of these advocates, Helena Quaid, spoke on the topic of the ‘lived experience of carer resilience’. Research findings offering new possibilities and real hope on this significant topic was presented at the opening ceremony by inspirational speaker, Marjolein de Vugt who stressed the importance of overcoming implementation barriers which effectively mean that “only 3% of research for eHealth interventions to support caregivers makes it to practice”.
Laura recounts that several of her most meaningful moments were in listening to those advocates who are currently living with dementia. Colleagues Dr. Laura O’Philbin and advocate Kevin Quaid presented on the importance of ‘Person Public Involvement’ in research. The Irish Dementia Working Group presented on the real-life topic that you can face challenges and still ‘look well’. Valuable new connections were made with international volunteer advocates such as Archie Noone, Chair of the Scottish Dementia Working Group and Muriel Reid who is a Scottish volunteer family carer advocate for NDCAN. Ireland was robustly represented at the conference by researchers, clinicians and people living with dementia allowing many more opportunities to re-connect and network with Irish delegates.
