Students host NHS Change Day to raise awareness of dementia

Students from the University of Derby will host the East Midlands regional NHS Change Day on Wednesday 11 March 2015, to raise awareness of dementia.

NHS Change Day is a grassroots movement of hundreds of thousands of health and care workers, patients, carers, volunteers and member of the public.

Dementia champions and campaigners will be at the event to tell their story, including: Joan Pons Laplana, NHS Nurse and Change Day Hubbie, Tommy Whitelaw Dementia Carer and Campaigner and Andy Tysoe, Clinical Nurse Specialist in dementia and a nationally renowned speaker on this topic.

The day will consist of dementia awareness sessions, an NHS Change Day street party and will be finished with a "lighting up the country" event where everyone will light up the sky with their torches as a symbolic resignation of passion for wanting to make a difference.

Collette Vickers, a student in the College of Health and Social Care, said: “The day is an opportunity to raise awareness of dementia and hopefully inspire people to share their stories and ideas. The students helping to organise the event all share the same passion to make a difference to those people living with dementia.”

Joan Pons Laplana, Proud Nurse and Change Day Hubbie added: “NHS Change Day is our opportunity to come together and harness our collective energy, creativity and ideas to make a change.

“If each of us makes one small change, together we can change how the world works. In the frustrating moments when we see that things aren’t happening in the best way, we can start on the small change actions that — in time, and with the help of others — overcome the things that were getting in our way.”

David Foreman, Senior Lecturer in Nursing at University of  Derby who has helped the students organise the day said: “Dementia care is a huge challenge for the health and social care services with the incidence of dementia increasing all over the world and the care requirements of dementia sufferers and their families is significant.

“The conference aims to take a look at dementia from the patient’s perspective and also those immediately affected, allowing those who have been touched by dementia to tell their story. This day also encourages those of us with care responsibilities to consider the ways in which we can make a change in our day to day working lives that can make the world of difference to those that we care for.”

A series of events will take place all over the country to mark the day. 

The event will be hosted by the College of Health and Social care at the University’s Kedleston Road site in Derby. The event is free to attend. The only requirement is that all attendees wear something green to reflect the colours of NHS Change Day and to bring a battery operated torch.