Providing positive interventions working with older people

The subject area of this PhD is of great interest to me and appeals to my commitment and career focus in providing positive interventions working with older people. This is demonstrated through my previous experience in both mental Health nursing practice and education working with older people and their carers in a broad range of settings within health and social care. Working with older people and their families has given me the opportunity to understand some of the complex changes involved in ageing, particularly where there is an onset of dementia. This work has included liaising extensively with a variety of multi-professionals, informal carers and families living with dementia and I have developed excellent interpersonal skills in communicating with a diverse range of people and engaging with them in appositive and collaborative way.
Both my degree and masters are in social sciences which complement my practical experience and this is further demonstrated through my background working in arrange of different academic and teaching settings. Currently working as a senior lecturer with the Association for Dementia Studies, University of Worcester which has a solid track record of qualitative research around person centred care. Within this role I am involved is designing and delivering high quality teaching and training materials to a variety of groups within health and social care, such as student nurses, social workers, GP's, housing associations and community groups. Recruiting people with dementia and families into planning and training delivery, recognising the positive contribution they are able to make. Presenting at conference, teaching, reflection, innovative and creative approaches to facilitate rather than teach; reflects my philosophy.
I am module lead for a masters' level module for Admiral Nurses who work specifically with families with complex needs around dementia in the community. Working closely with colleagues from Dementia UK, the charity which supports Admiral Nurses, I developed this module from the outcomes of a research study where Dementia UK commissioned us to refresh the Competency Framework for the Admiral Nurses. I was project lead on this research which used an iterative approach and qualitative methodology, this was completed on time and the framework was launched in 2016 and is used by the nurses in their practice. Previously I was one of the researchers in an evaluation of the RCN dementia leadership programme in acute hospitals throughout the UK which involved running focus groups and collecting data.
This research experience reinforced my desire to extend my involvement in research projects which have genuine impact for people in communities. Having considered undertaking a PhD for some time I believe that this studentship provides me with an opportunity to do this and develop as a researcher, whilst contributing to policy implementation around prevention and positive ageing.