Kate Baldwin, a consultant at investment management Quilter Cheviot in the North West, is now qualified to lead ‘Dementia Friends’ information sessions, which enable attendees to get a better understanding of the challenges of living with dementia, and what they can do to help.

Kate, who is also a senior lecturer at the University of Law, is now delivering sessions at the Liverpool and Manchester offices of Quilter Cheviot’s professional and intermediary connections. She explains:

“I originally attended an information session with the aim of becoming a Dementia Friend, and I was surprised at what an impact it had on me. I decided that I wanted to contribute to the initiative in a more meaningful way by becoming a Dementia Friends Champion, which would enable me to provide the sessions too.

“Each Dementia Friends Champion is expected to reach at least 100 people a year and it struck me that the different roles I do should put me in a good position to achieve that. Much of my time with Quilter Cheviot is spent meeting lawyers, accountants and financial advisers acting in the private client field.  Given the connection with elderly clients, this seems like an obvious area in which raising awareness of dementia could be hugely beneficial.

“The sessions only take an hour, but it’s amazing how even in this short time you can develop the insight you need in how to work with people living with the condition in the best way.

“Before, I felt like I already knew quite a lot about dementia, but I was amazed by what I didn’t know. I’ve learned a lot, and I feel like now I can help others learn too. The end goal is to build dementia-friendly communities, in which everyone knows what they personally can do to help people with dementia.

“Of course, the business community needs to play a part in this, and so far, firms have been very enthusiastic. It’s a good thing to do from an ethical perspective, and also hugely beneficial from a client relations perspective too.”

In order to complete the course, Kate had to complete a module of the Social Care Institute for Excellence (SCIE) extensive Open Dementia programme before attending a full-day session with the Alzheimer’s Society.

To find out more about attending a dementia information session led by Kate, email kate.baldwin@quiltercheviot.com. To find out more about the Dementia Friends scheme, visit www.dementiafriends.org.uk