Adam Smith - Dementia Champions - Inspiring or a false narrative?

Adam Smith narrates his blog written for Dementia Researcher. Every now and again a little twitter storm blows-up, it probably isn’t big enough to be given a name yet, however its underlying cause is worth talking about… In this blog Adam walking out into the storm and discusses Dementia Champions, their work, living well with dementia and the overall narrative and how dementia is perceived as a result of their great work - do they present a true picture of life with dementia? Find the original text, and narration here on our website. https://www.dementiaresearcher.nihr.ac.uk/guest-blog-dementia-champions-inspiring-or-a-false-narrative/ -- Adam Smith was born in the north, a long time ago. He wanted to write books, but ended up working in the NHS, and at the Department of Health.  He is now Programme Director in the Office of the NIHR National Director for Dementia Research (which probably sounds more important than it is) at University College London. He has led a number of initiatives to improve dementia research (including this website, Join Dementia Research & ENRICH), as well as pursuing his own research interests. In his spare time, he grows vegetables, builds Lego & spends most of his time drinking too much coffee and squeezing technology into his house. _____________________________________________________ Enjoy listening? We're always looking for new bloggers, drop us a line. http://www.dementiaresearcher.nihr.ac.uk   Note: The author of this blog uses the term 'Dementia Champion' to describe a person with lived experience of dementia, who shares their experience - in Scotland a 'Dementia Champion' is a health and social care professional that has completed an intensive eight-month programme, to see, hear and feel the experiences of people living with dementia through working closely with them, their carers and their families. It enables the professionals to take the practical knowledge they have learned and share it to make a real difference in their everyday work, whether that is in hospital wards or in community care settings. In Scotland the current term for people with dementia participating in research and education is active voices.