Trainer Profiles

Fran qualified as an occupational therapist in 1988 and a year later began working within the NHS with people with dementia. Her passion for dementia care continued to grow, and when she went into lecturing she retained a special interest in dementia care, undertaking initiatives such as developing distance learning courses in dementia care for qualified health professionals. Fran has a degree in English Language and Literature, an MA in Health Promotion and a Post-Graduate Certificate in Higher Education. During the past three years she has worked for Alzheimer's Society as a home support worker, peer support group facilitator and trainer, before taking on a full-time training role with the Education and Development team.

'I have always enjoyed working with and learning from people with dementia and those who care for them. I get great satisfaction from sharing what I have learned with others, to help them understand the experiences of people living with dementia.'

Things I've done this month

I've had a pretty varied month this month, delivering training to:

• Nurses, managers and allied health professionals at Liverpool Heart and Chest NHS Trust
• Health professionals and support workers based in the community in Louth, Lincolnshire
• BWD Carers, an organisation supporting carers in the Blackburn area and
• Carers working with people with dementia in East Radnor Day Centre in Powys.

I attended a locality Dementia Forum in Barrow in Furness, and heard about their plans for family carer training and improving people's opportunities for planning for end of life. I also visited hospitals in Nottingham and Burton on Trent with our Regional Account Manager to discuss training needs and how Alzheimer's Society might be able to meet these.

On 15 October I was fortunate in being able to attend a meeting at the Royal College of Physicians where the implementation of the National Dementia CQUIN was discussed. This was a great opportunity to find out about health care providers' progress in relation to improving hospital services for people with dementia.

Contact us

For information on the range of dementia training courses Fran and the other Alzheimer's Society Dementia Trainers can deliver for your organisation contact us on 01904 633581 or email dementiatraining@alzheimers.org.uk.