An experienced north-east dementia campaigner shared her knowledge and experience with Robert Gordon University (RGU) pharmacy students recently to raise awareness of patient and carer needs and reduce stigma.

Jeanette Maitland, who is a volunteer for Alzheimer Scotland’s National Dementia Carers Action Network (NDCAN), gave a guest lecture to fourth year students to highlight potential pharmacist input in to the care of dementia patients.

She also relayed her experience caring for her husband Ken who was diagnosed with dementia in 2003, aged 63.

Jeanette was the main carer for Ken for more than nine years until he passed away in 2012, aged 72. By then, Mrs Maitland had joined the NDCAN campaign group to raise awareness of carers’ experiences in order to improve services.

Alzheimer Scotland formed the group in 2011 to make the voices of carers of people with dementia heard and raise awareness of issues which impact upon them.

Dr Antonella Tonna from RGU’s School of Pharmacy and Life Sciences has been in contact with Jeanette for three years and invited her to deliver a guest lecture to students on the Specialised Pharmaceutical Care module.

It was nominated for and awarded Outstanding Module at the 2015 I Love My Lecturer Awards which was organised by the university’s Student Association.

Jenna said, ‘Meeting the students is great because they are the future and will be involved in delivery of the care we may need as we get older.

‘I’m happy to share my experience with them so they have an increased understanding of what the patient and carer perspective may be. I really get a lot out of meeting the students, and I hope they do too.

‘It is very important to raise awareness of dementia to pharmacists and others in order to reduce stigma and pass on tips and best practice from a carer’s perspective.

‘There is a lot to look out for, including whether or not the patient is taking their medication, and at the correct dosage, and potential problems with swallowing.’

While caring for her husband, Jeanette identified a number of challenges she encountered, including the number of different carers who would visit her home to deliver services for her husband.

She said, ‘It really hit home when I took a note of more than 100 different carers, it was impossible to keep track of who was who and build any kind of relationship with them.

‘Consistency of care is crucial and I shared an important message with the students which is all you need is love. It’s the embodiment of care and when you genuinely want to look after someone, and have the correct training, you can make a big difference.

‘Until you’ve had experience of caring for someone with dementia it can be difficult to understand their needs, and everyone is different.

‘A lot of work is done by Alzheimer Scotland, NDCAN and other groups to raise awareness of people with dementia and carers’ needs and by speaking to the students I’m proud to play my part.’

The Specialised Pharmaceutical Care module forms part of the undergraduate Master of Pharmacy (MPharm) course at RGU which is only one of two available in Scotland.

For more information about NDCAN, visit www.alzscot.org/ndcan.