Beverley Adey-Morgan became a volunteer Dementia Friends Champion (now known as a Dementia Friends Ambassador) in 2019 after being inspired to help raise awareness of dementia, here she shares what drew her to the role:
“Back in 2019, my husband was working with people living with dementia in his spare time and he had seen first-hand the devastating effects of dementia and loneliness in our ageing communities. This, along with hearing of the experiences of friends who support relatives with dementia had a real impact on me and I felt I wanted to make a difference and raise awareness of the disease.
“I thought about how I could best utilise my skills to make a positive difference to people living with dementia, so I did some research into the disease and the various dementia charities. I found the Dementia Friends programme and decided that my first goal would be to become a Dementia Friends Champion and deliver sessions to help people understand more about the disease and what they can do to help people affected by dementia. I booked myself onto a Dementia Friends Champion induction session in Manchester and the rest is history.”
As part of her role as a Dementia Friends Ambassador Bev delivers Dementia Friends Sessions at her workplace and to local organisations and youth groups.
“What I enjoy most about delivering Dementia Friends Sessions is interacting with people and seeing them inspired to do more. My favourite part of the session is when I deliver the bookcase analogy, as its interactive and helps people to understand dementia more.”
Bev is Lead Business Analyst for the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) and back in 2020 the Dementia Friends Lead retired and asked her to take on the role. Since then, she has grown the number of Dementia Friends at DWP to over 4,500. She also created a dementia network of over 700 members who support one another and have access to useful advice and information.
“I took on the role and wanted to expand it wider than Dementia Friends, I also wanted to provide support to people who were affected by dementia, those living with the disease, plus their carers, friends and family members and colleagues who may work with people living with dementia.
“I was asked to take part in a Digital Wellbeing podcast to discuss dementia, and it became apparent that there was limited support available, so I set up monthly ‘Let’s Talk Dementia’ calls. This was a monthly support group where people affected by dementia can dial in and chat to others who have similar experiences in a safe and supportive environment.
“Initially there were only a handful of people joined, but as I continued to deliver Dementia Friends sessions and I promoted the monthly calls, the number of people joining grew and grew.
“I decided to set up a dedicated space open to all DWP staff providing a supportive environment for people to talk about their experiences and ask for and share information and support to other colleagues.
“I also noticed that people were asking for information over and over again so I set up a SharePoint site which is a dedicated hub providing a one stop shop of information and help for any and all colleagues who may be affected by dementia.”
“Every year for Dementia Action Week I try to think of something new to highlight and spread the word about dementia. I’m particularly interested in the research around music and how it can have a positive impact on people living with dementia. In the run up to Dementia Action Week in 2024 I contacted members of the Dementia Network and wider colleagues and asked them their favourite songs that bring back memories. I had over 150 responses and from that I set up a ‘Music for Memories’ playlist on Amazon Music, Spotify and YouTube. This year for Dementia Action Week I put together information leaflets on some of the different kinds of dementia and shared them with colleagues across DWP.”
Bev has recently been honoured as a Member of the Order of the British Empire (MBE) for her work to people affected by dementia.
“It was such a shock for me, I had to read the letter twice! I was so honoured to receive the award and be nominated by someone at work. It really is a highlight to be recognised for what I’ve done to help raise awareness of dementia.”
Bev’s role manager, Dementia Friends Engagement Officer, Marie McClay, said: “Bev works so hard raising awareness of dementia, through the sessions she delivers and everything she does through her role at work. Everyone in the Dementia Friends Team would like to congratulate Bev for being recognised with a MBE, it is really deserving and shows her commitment, dedication and enthusiasm for the Programme.”
