Two Young Healthwatch volunteers, Grace and Khyem who attended our annual Away Day, share their experience of the day.

We were invited to take part in the Healthwatch Central Bedfordshire (HWCB) Away Day as Youth Volunteers. It was a very valuable experience where we got to meet the Directors, Leaders, and other volunteers of Healthwatch and listen to speakers that informed us of relevant medical issues today.  

Firstly, when we arrived at the Forest Centre and Millennium Country Park, we entered the conference room and listened to a guest speaker from Alzheimer’s Society who talked about dementia. She talked about the 5 things you should know about dementia:  

  1. It is not a natural part of ageing. 
  2. Symptoms that include memory problems and changes in mood and behaviour.  
  3. Dementia is caused by diseases of the brain as they cause nerve cells to die therefore damaging the structure and chemistry of the brain. 
  4. Dementia is not just about losing memory as it sometimes starts with confusion or other symptoms such as difficulty concentrating and problems planning.  
  5. People with dementia can still stay active and involved as treatments can include cognitive stimulation therapy that include activities and exercises to encourage thinking. 

Alzheimer’s Society is available for support: https://alzheimers.org.uk/  

Then we had a very good meeting with the Directors and Leaders of HWCB. We learnt about all the project’s that Healthwatch had been a part of and helped with over the last year and saw the itinerary for all the projects to come into the next year which were very exciting.

All the finances of last year were shown and discussed so it was very transparent as we were all able to see where all the money had been spent that had been given by the ICB and Central Bedfordshire Council.

Many questions were asked during this time, and we gained a very good insight into how HWCB can effectively help the local community. 

Our last activity was a group meeting where the Chair of HWCB went through issues in the local community.  One of the main issues was about Patient Participation Groups (PPGs) and how most of them were not as effective as they could be in their local areas, so it was discussed how they could be improved, and we gave our input on how young people can be encouraged to join their practice PPGs.

Overall, Grace and I had a great time at the Away Day and are grateful for our invite to join so we could learn about dementia and have our views heard.