Projects & Collaborations
Turning lived experience into real change - in communities, services and national resources
I work with individuals, communities, and organisations to design and deliver projects that improve the lives of people living with dementia
Peer-Led & Community Projects
D-Mob Peer Support Group
Building Confidence & Community Through Peer Support
Brighton’s D-Mob group offers a safe, friendly space for people living with dementia and their loved ones to connect, share experiences and take part in community action.
Impact:
Increased confidence and social connection.
Peer-led dementia-friendly venue audits (hospitals, GP surgeries, supermarkets).
Strong, lasting friendships.
“In the D-Mob group I feel safe around people with the same diagnosis as me, thank you for setting it up!”
Interested in starting a peer-led group in your area?
Lived Experience Group - Age & Dementia Friendly Brighton & Hove
Shaping a Dementia-Friendly City Through Lived Experience
This 24-month project in collaboration with Brighton and Hove City Council brought together people diagnosed within the last 18 months to share their views on making Brighton & Hove more dementia friendly.
Impact:
Direct influence on city-wide Age & Dementia Friendly Strategy.
Safe welcoming meetings at local community spaces.
Milestone celebrations and evolving community action.
Confidence building, peer friendships and self advocacy.
Could your project benefit from the voice of lived experience?
Life Story Snippets
Honouring Lives Through Story
Every life holds stories worth telling — stories that bring joy, spark connection, and remind us of who we are. Through Life Story Snippets, I sit down with people living with dementia to record their memories, reflections, and experiences.
These conversations are then transcribed and crafted into a keepsake document, often combined with photographs, that can be shared with family, friends, and care teams. The result is both a celebration of the person and a practical tool to support truly personalised care.
What this work achieves:
Creates a treasured keepsake for families.
Helps people with dementia feel heard, valued, and celebrated.
Provides carers and professionals with deeper insight into what matters most to the individual.
Strengthens bonds across generations.
I’ve also shared this work through audio storytelling - via a podcast - bringing these personal voices and experiences to wider audiences. Have a listen.
Collaborations & Advisory Work
Connecting People, Connecting Support (CPCS)
Future-Proofing a National Dementia Resource
I worked in collaboration with Alzheimer Scotland and a wide network of contributors to review, refresh, and expand the amazing Connecting People, Connecting Support website. Connecting People, Connecting Support is a trusted hub for people living with dementia, families and professionals.
A heartfelt thanks and full acknowledgement to the originators of Connecting People, Connecting Support whose vision and hard work first brought these resources to life. Their commitment to making high-quality, tested resources available for people with dementia, their families, and supporters has been invaluable. The resources and activities they developed were shaped by lived experience and remain the foundation of this work.
My role focused on future-proofing the site, ensuring its content remains accurate, accessible and shaped by lived experience. Contributions included:
Updating all topic content for clarity and accessibility.
Creating new sensory resources with input from lived experience.
Producing a mindfulness video and practical everyday tools.
This work has kept Connecting People, Connecting Support a forward-looking, sustainable resource that supports both individuals and professionals across Scotland and beyond.
Scottish Dementia Working Group - Top Tips for Living Well with Dementia
Amplifying Voices, Sharing Practical Wisdom
I worked with the Scottish Dementia Working Group to update their much-valued Top Tips for Living Well with Dementia. Through a series of facilitated discussion sessions, members shared what truly helps day to day. I then edited their ideas into clear, accessible guidance so it could be shared widely with others living with dementia, families, and professionals.
The result is a practical, empowering resource – written by and for people with dementia – that continues to influence how support is shaped in Scotland and beyond.
Allied Health Professional Toolkit - Embedding Lived Experience into Practice
Creating Tools that Put Lived Experience First
Working with Alzheimer Scotland, the Scottish Dementia Working Group and designer Helen Fisher , I coordinated the development of the Practitioner Toolkit 2025. My role was to bring together existing resources, lived experience insights, and practical tools into a single, usable resource designed for busy Allied Health Professionals.
The toolkit is grounded in a human rights–based approach and highlights the importance of actively involving people with dementia and their supporters in shaping services. It provides AHPs with practical ways to:
Capture everyday conversations with people living with dementia.
Translate these insights into timely, flexible support.
Use approaches such as Listen and Learn events, postcards, posters, and reflective tools to gather feedback.
Build trust by keeping participants updated through “You Said / We Did” methods.
By making lived experience central, the toolkit helps practitioners respond to emerging issues, challenge assumptions, and continuously improve dementia care.
Research & Conferences
Changing the Dementia Narrative Through Research
My NIHR-funded research explored how storytelling can transform the dementia journey — shifting focus from loss to possibility. I’ve presented findings nationally and locally, including at:
The Royal College of Occupational Therapists
UK Dementia Congress
Community and regional dementia events
These talks share insights on dementia diaries, peer-led voices, and creative storytelling in care.
Service Development Projects
Measurable Improvements in Dementia Care
In NHS roles, I’ve led service development projects that made a measurable difference, including:
Acute hospitals: introducing daily activity programmes that reduce distress and improve wellbeing.
Care homes: delivering training and environmental improvements that reduced falls and fractures by 22% in one year.
Couples post-diagnosis support: creating groups that built connection, routine, and confidence.
Let’s Create Something Together
Whether you’re a commissioner, service provider, charity or community group, I can help you bring ideas to life in a way that is practical, person-centred and shaped by real experiences.