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Celebrating 3 Years of DASH!

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  On the 5 th of November, the DASH group came together to celebrate 3 years of DASH! The event focused on celebrating the achievements of members with their family and friends, as well as staff members and a representative of the Bromley Dementia Friendly Community. The celebration was an opportunity to reflect on everything the group has achieved over the past year to recognise the invaluable contributions of our members. This included most recently our Dementia Care Pathway Project, training videos created for the Bromley Dementia Friendly Community, and involvement in several conferences. A full list of this year’s achievements can be found below. A highlight of the afternoon was presenting members with certificates and cards as a small thank you for all they contribute. Alongside plenty of cake and treats, members shared their reflections on what DASH has meant to them and the difference it has made over the past three years. We were also delighted to showcase artwork cre...
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Lizzie’s (Trainee Psychologist) Leaving Reflections

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Written by Lizzie, a trainee psychologist and DASH facilitator. Before leaving my final placement as part of my training, I wanted to share my appreciation and reflections on the DASH group.  From my very first meeting, I was struck by the balance between warmth and support and productivity and purpose that DASH creates. In training we often hear about co-production and service user involvement, but opportunities to actually experience it are rare. On occasions when these have been possible, meetings have often felt awkward, cold, patronising or directionless - this could not be further from the environment created by the DASH members and team.  To me, the DASH environment is a welcoming one - in all ways. Everyone is welcome, differences in opinions are welcome and treated respectfully and trainees who drop by (before leaving after 6 months) are treated like valued members - able to contribute and benefit from the varied experience within the room.  DASH has been a great...
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An open letter to senior management and investors: DASH - THE PRESENT FUTURE

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Written by Andy Sims "There is an old African saying that goes something like this... WHEN AN OLD MAN DIES A LIBRARY BURNS DOWN. I've had a revelation in recent days that there is something redolent about this saying that chimes with Alzheimer’s/Dementia - but we aren't dying from Dementia, we are living with it . All that skill, knowledge, ability, dextrousness in facility, experience and, dare I say it, common sense gradually leaching away. What is common sense? I'll illustrate. My father was a carpenter. I recall his sage advice. "Always keep your fingers behind the blade". Maybe not common but certainly sense. I am blessed that I live in Bromley. Here, unlike many areas of England that I know personally, we are provided with opportunities through the Dementia Assisting Self Help (DASH) group not made available universally.  Please keep being a beacon of best practice. Finally. The birth rate is falling. The population is not being replaced.  Us ...
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Aspiring Psychologists Conference 2026

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  On May 11th, Oxleas held its second year of the Aspiring Psychologists Conference (APC). This was a conference for entry-level psychologists across Oxleas services to share and present some of the projects they have been working on and reflect on their journeys into psychology with the NHS. DASH Facilitator, Ross, presented on Service Involvement for people with dementia, and how it can be made more accessible. This was based on work with the DASH group for the past few months around people with dementia as Experts by Experience on NHS recruitment panels. It explored the barriers, supports, and experiences of DASH members who have been on a panel before. Two of our members, Andy and David (alongside his wife), co-presented the project, giving their own experiences as people with dementia who still get involved with services through DASH.  The event was a real success with positive feedback all around, especially about our two DASH co-presenters. Thank you to Andy, David, and...
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DASH in Oxleas Communications

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  Our DASH Celebration was recently featured in both the Oxleas internal staff newsletter and is now front-page on the Oxleas intranet website! The news reads...
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DASH Gathering 2026!

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On March 26th, the DASH Group held a very special social gathering at the Ripley Arts Centre in Bromley. This was the first time that we have held an event to celebrate the group's achievements, and it was wonderful to see so many members, partners, and staff join us! During the gathering, we shared some of the projects DASH members have worked on since the group began including our new DASH Video  that was recently filmed to present at the Oxleas Board Meeting, previous blog posts  members have written, and the many leaflets and posters which DASH have produced (communication tips for working with people with dementia, talking about your dementia diagnosis, and living with dementia). We were delighted to welcome our special guest, Chief Estates Officer for the Oxleas Board, Mr. Steve Wedgwood. He joined us to celebrate everything the group has done so far, and to hand out certificates to our members that recognised everyone's amazing contributions to DASH so far! A big thank ...
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Art Therapy Trial Session

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Bromley Memory Service recently received funding for a new art therapist role. I had the opportunity to join an art therapy taster session and offer feedback as a service user. I found the session very interesting, particularly the part around the history of art therapy in Bexley Hospital, as I used to work as a psychiatrist. I really enjoyed the session and found the therapist to be very good and supportive. When given a prompt to draw my “calm and quiet place”, I drew my mosque, which enabled me to feel relaxed. I found the session very engaging and would encourage my DASH group peers to have a go as I think it’s a great way to keep your mind active when living with dementia. What I learnt from the session is: You do not have to be good at art It's not what the work looks like that matters, it's what it represents You can use symbolism to take a step out of the actual mental/physical experience in order to make sense of it There is no wrong or right way to do art therapy The ...
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