Looking forward to looking back

Distance learning, Events, Training and education 2 Minutes

This week we hear from Dr Chris Russell about an exciting event we’ve got coming up soon. Over to you Chris…

Time flies when you’re having fun, and time has certainly shot by since 2019 because, in September, the fully online course we offer, the Postgraduate Certificate in Person-Centred Dementia Studies, will be five years old! To celebrate this, in April, we’re holding an event for alumni from the course.

What tremendous students we have worked alongside over those years; drawn from health, social care and social work, housing, advocacy, and leisure settings (and many more, we’ve even had the great pleasure of working with an opera singer!). It is one of the most rewarding things about working in education, having the opportunity to support individuals realise their goals and develop their passion for practice, particularly when a priority for the course is to enable students to apply their knowledge to lead positive change for people affected by dementia. Over one hundred students have enrolled since the course opened its virtual doors, so you can imagine the sense of anticipation as we look forward to welcoming so many back.

image showing a cupcake with a candle in, with confetti falling and the words 'Welcome back!'

What will await our amazing alumni in April? Well we don’t want to give too much away, but there is a strong suggestion that cake will be on offer… Our gathering will also provide the opportunity to take stock on the contemporary context of dementia. It will be a chance to reflect from the position of each of our attendees on the priorities and challenges that exist within our field. We will also be keen to find out more about how alumni have utilised their learning from the course, and the impact it has had. Then we might do a bit of future gazing, looking ahead together to see what educational opportunities could be put in place to meet the ongoing needs and priorities of our current, former and future students.  

It is a fabulous feeling that the Postgraduate Certificate in Person-Centred Dementia Studies is approaching its fifth birthday. The chance to meet so many of those who have shone throughout that time is something we are all looking forward to. People matter most in the context of dementia and we would struggle to think of a more wonderful group of people with whom to gather, celebrate and look ahead!

Thanks Chris, it sounds like it should be a great event! If your interest in the Postgraduate Certificate has been piqued by this, Chris is hosting an online open evening 3.30-6.00pm on 29th April, which is a great opportunity for prospective students to ask questions and find out a bit more about the course. To book a slot at the open evening, please contact Chris via dementia@worc.ac.uk

image showing coloured speech bubbles with question marks in them and a white box saying ‘online open evening 29th April dementia@worc.ac.uk’

Connect with ADS on twitter @DementiaStudies and on Facebook @adsuow 

We’re also on Instagram, Threads and LinkedIn so have a look and find us there too. 

Published by Association for Dementia Studies

We are a multi-professional group of educationalists, researchers and practitioners who are expert in the field of person-centred dementia care and support. Our aim is to make a substantial contribution to building evidence-based practical ways of working with people living with dementia and their families that enables them to live well. We do this primarily through research, education and consultancy.

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