Tag: dementia

by Tara Jane Storey

My journey started in somewhat of a backwards way, my leaders were not good examples and therefore drove me to want to get to a position where I could make a difference, a change, make better decisions, improve conditions, most importantly for patients but also the staff teams. Far from my idea of what leadership actually means, most of the reality of what a true leader is has been learnt since returning to university to undertake my master’s and being lucky enough to have joined the SLA. This has opened my eyes and I have gained a real insight into what being a leader means.

Unfortunately, most of the early years of my career were negative, consisting of poor management, untrained staff teams making it up as they went along and working in poor conditions for meagre wages. I started work at age 17 in an elderly care home, immediately I began picking up on things that I just knew were not right, this I now know to be intuition and is far away from the evidence-based model that I have learned to utilise over the last 16 years through study and work. Intuition is however proven to be a valuable skill in nursing which I have grown and developed alongside the scientific reasoning to help me along my journey towards being the best nurse I can be. I fell in love with the job, the field of older adults, however there was a lot left to be desired. I soon realised that I had a key interest in dementia, how it affects people, how interesting and yet heart wrenchingly cruel at the same time it was. So, I returned to college, studied health and social care, and chased my desire to learn how to care for people living with dementia properly, to learn about the disease, the symptoms, and the management of those symptoms. I wanted to know all I could to equip me to be able to make the biggest, positive impact for those people I cared for. I soon became a senior and began my personal leadership pathway. I enjoyed encouraging others, leading by example of practicing to a high standard, going that extra mile, being person centred, seeing the person behind the disease first, educating my team on behaviours, presentations, symptoms, and reasons why people with dementia do certain things. I loved it. I felt that this really was my WHY.

In amongst having 2 babies, I returned to study and completed a BSc in Care studies and well-being. Nursing was always my end goal however having a young family did not allow for placements at that time and I knew when I did get the opportunity for my nurse training that I wanted to be able to commit to it 100%. I did however mange to graduate with a first-class honour’s degree. My assignments were written whilst cradling my daughter in the Welsh shawl and occupying my busy toddler son. It was worth every minute as soon after I gained myself my ideal job, a band 4 post in the NHS with a brand-new dementia service. I was delighted.

My job involved teaching dementia friends training, raising awareness and information for families of a loved one living with dementia, undertaking cognitive assessments with patients, and supporting them throughout their journey with dementia, it was amazing, and I was there for 7 years. This role added to my aspirations of being a good role model and a leader in the world of dementia care. I met Teepa Snow – an American dementia guru famous worldwide for being a dementia specialist. I also worked with Nick Johnson who is the dementia lead trainer for Swansea Bay where I had12 weeks intensive training with him – he is just amazing and taught me so much. I learnt about the gem states – a model devised to view abilities not disabilities.  I went to dementia conferences, to speak and to listen, once again my appetite grew to gain all the knowledge possible in what I had begun to class as ‘my area’ of expertise.

Fast forward to 2022, my then babies were now 10 & 12, it was finally my time to do what I had always wanted to, so I applied for the 2 year pre-registration masters in mental health nursing at Swansea university and that’s where I met Beryl Mansel, (Programme Director of the Swansea Leadership Academy). I learned of her amazing work and the opportunities which could be gained by applying, instantly I was intrigued and knew I needed to step up if I was to learn how to become the best version of myself in a professional capacity. Despite my background in leading teams etc. I was really nervous, and the horrors of imposter syndrome nearly prevented me, but I thought just do it! And I am so glad I did, what an experience it has been.

The most valuable thing I have learned is to progress, you must step out of your comfort zone. A comfort zone is defined as ‘a settled method of working that requires little effort and yields only barely acceptable results’, this is not where leaders a born and no one ever achieves great things by staying comfortable. I have met some inspirational people who, like me have grown and succeeded by knowing their why. It is not about status, position, or hierarchy, it is about your why. Having the ability to be out of your comfort zone and advocating for your patients’ best interests regardless of how vulnerable you feel. The SLA recommends creating a professional twitter and offers a mentor for your leadership journey. This opportunity has been incredible to enhance my opportunity for networking with others. The people and services I have learned about and have been able to make contact with, get to know and learn from have been beyond my wildest dreams.

I had the lovely Hazel Powell, (Deputy Executive Director of Nursing), assigned to me as my mentor, I was enthralled but also anxious as I knew of Hazels’s amazing work and success, I thought how am I going to begin a conversation with such a prominent figure in our health board? ME? Tara? Talking to Hazel Powell about me? It terrified me but Hazel instantly put me at ease like a true leader, she was so down to earth and inspiring in a naturally leading manner, it was a wonderful experience that most certainly took me out of my comfort zone, however it was 100% one of the best experiences I have had to date. Hazel taught me so much about leadership but also about myself. I learned of skills which I possess that are transferable and elements of my life which can be utilised in many different settings. Hazel supported me to focus on my why, what is important to me, and it really brought it home to me what that was. My why is all those times I didn’t have the courage to speak up for those without a voice, all the times I saw things and challenged them but was dismissed by people in higher positions, for all the millions of people worldwide living with dementia and having inadequate skilled support. My why hopes for a world where people with dementia have a voice and dementia care is commended for its excellence, not condemned for short fallings. I am passionate and driven to be a leader in dementia care, I am determined and prepared to delve into the reasons behind why dementia care is perceived so negatively, why people’s experiences are so poor and contribute towards a revolutionary switch. Why abuse in the general patient population is around 6% but in patients with dementia is over 4 times higher at 25%, this is not acceptable, and I want to be part of this changing.

Since joining the wonderful SLA, I have been to London to the Florence Nightingale memorial service where I won a place by writing about why I am a leader, most of what I’ve written here was in my application as my why. I have been given the opportunity to present at one of the SLA days, again catapulting me out of that comfort zone, I worried, pondered, and stressed beforehand but I did it and I loved it. I am now due to go to Manchester in a few weeks as I am officially a 150 leaders’ member, to attend the annual 2-day residential event which will consist of seminars, networking, workshops, and some unimaginable opportunities which will set me up for a prosperous career in nursing, I cannot wait. The 150 leaders programme is run by the Council of Deans and supported by the Burdett trust. It’s aim is to promote and develop leadership skills among future nurses and allied health professionals to equip us with the skills we need to become leaders in our field and recognise our own personal style of leadership.  They have a significant application process every year from universities nationwide. It was a nail biting 3 months waiting from application to selection, but I got the email, I had been chosen. I was ecstatic, once again a tad more of my feelings of being an imposter had been lifted. I won my place, again from writing about my why. All these experiences are building my confidence and self-belief that I am not an imposter; I am a leader.