Opportunities

My name is Cathy and I was diagnosed with Vascular Dementia in March 2023. Being a member of the DASH group has given me the opportunity to help the professionals who are involved with people living with dementia. Part of the plan of the group is to attend interview panels to give our opinion of the candidates being interviewed for the job advertised. 

I have sat on 3 panels recently. The first was for occupational therapy. I was amazed by the qualification (on paper) these candidates had, the work ethic seemed very creditable. One of the candidates was not happy that there were 5 people on the interview panel and asked for the student (who was there to support me) to leave. While I understand she had every right to have her say, I felt quite upset that my support had to leave, because of this, I didn't stay for the interview. What I have learnt from this experience is that although I am living with dementia, I still have a choice to say no when I feel uncomfortable. 

The next 2 interview panels I sat on were for admiral nurse recruitment. This is a fantastic service which Bromley doesn't currently have, so I was very excited to be part of this process. The first interviews were to find a lead for admiral nurses. Again the candidates were very well educated and a couple of them really seemed positive that they would be able to show other services in Bromley that the admiral nurses are very worthwhile. 

The next interviews were for the actual admiral nurses in the community. I was quite disappointed because although they were qualified nurses, when they were talking about people living with dementia, they nearly all gave examples of patients over 80 and very fragile. Although I am aware that a lot of people living with dementia fit into this category, there are more and more people who have been diagnosed with dementia who are a lot younger and would need different support. 

Despite this, I enjoyed sitting on these panels as it made me feel worthwhile and valid.