Become a media spokesperson

Speaking Out

‘I will continue to speak about what it's like being a carer, if it raises the profile and gets people thinking about dementia as a common condition that needs to come out of the shadows and lose its stigma.'
Jean Tottie, family carer

Dementia UK is often contacted by the media looking for someone to talk or write about their experiences of a particular aspect of caring. We are developing our ability to respond to these requests and also to be proactive by building up a team of family carers and people with dementia who feel able and confident to speak or write about their experiences.

It doesn't matter if you have done this before as we will give support and training to enable you to feel confident about sharing your experiences.

Why Your Story Needs To Be Heard

Everyone affected by dementia has a story to tell and sometimes the most powerful stories are those of the highs and lows of everyday caring. We hear so often that hearing about someone in a similar situation can be such a powerful. Carers often say to us that they hadn't known what was happening or where to turn until they heard someone talking about dementia and what they did to get support and advice.

By speaking out you can help other carers feel less isolated and learn from your experiences, raise awareness of dementia and help to lessen the stigma associated with dementia.

What Dementia UK Needs From You

• A willingness to speak out about and share your experiences. You don't need to be a professional speaker, just be willing to talk about the reality of caring for someone with dementia.
• Or a passion about impacting on a particular issue such as payment for working carers, quality of residential care, development of services locally and implementation of the National Dementia Strategy.
• Be able to make a commitment to develop your skills with us and take part in media opportunities when you are able to

‘'Good dementia care comes from having a real understanding of what its like to have dementia and how to provide holistic care as dementia affects people differently.professionals can learn a lot from us"

What Support Can You Expect

• Dementia UK provides professional Media Training for those interested and willing to share their experiences of dementia.
• We will provide you with full details regarding the nature of the interview and you always have the option to say no.
• Support and development will be offered to anyone involved in this work.
• We also will provide expenses for travel and other costs related to your involvement.

Below are some examples of work undertaken by our Media Team.

Click here for more information about Uniting Carers.