Ambassadors prove their worth

More than 100 delegates attended a national conference in Perth yesterday to celebrate the work of Dementia Ambassadors.

The event, now in its fourth year, was held at the city’s Queen’s Hotel.

Dementia Ambassadors were created in 2012 and today there are more than 850 working to improve knowledge and skills.

They are people in social services and other settings who have volunteered to develop their skills.

A recent report by the Care Inspectorate highlights that dementia care is improving.

The study is the result of a year of dedicated inspection work on the care of people living with dementia in 145 care homes.

Inspectors found in 73%, staff roles and responsibilities were in line with the ambassadors’ advice and generally, care homes which follow this guide provided better quality care than those that did not.

Professor James McGoldrick is convenor of the Scottish Social Services Council.

He said: “The reach and connections generated by this network of over 850 Dementia Ambassadors represents every single local authority area in Scotland.

“We have ambassadors in colleges, day care services, mainstream housing services, with most working in care homes.”