Our tribute to the late Peter Levy OBE, Founder Trustee and Vice Chair at Dementia UK
Founder trustee of Dementia UK president Jane Jason looks back on the contribution of her brother to the formation and development of the charity.
My family saw the effects of dementia first-hand after our father, Joseph, was diagnosed with vascular dementia in the early 1980s. It had a profound effect on our family and we became determined to improve understanding of the carer’s experience.
The first Admiral Nurses were appointed in 1990, named after my father who was affectionately known as ‘Admiral Joe’ due to his love of sailing. In order to develop the nursing service, the charity was launched in 1995. Peter was a Founder Trustee and remained on the board until November 2012. During his time as Vice Chair, he had a strong and steady influence on the charity’s early development. I was grateful not only for his personal support but also for the considerable contribution made by the Joseph Levy Foundation under his guidance, without which the charity would never have grown as it did.
The early success of Dementia UK owes much to Peter’s foresight and commitment during those formative years. Peter fully understood the benefits of the Admiral Nurse model and the many difficulties we encountered; he was always encouraging and constructive in his advice. He remained a loyal advocate and he was very much heartened by the continued success and growth of the charity.”
Dr Monica Greenwood, Chair of the original pilot project and former member of the Board of Trustees adds: “My recollections of Peter are of a kind and caring person. I first met him in the 1980s when he accompanied his mother to consult me on the diagnosis and progression of his father’s dementia. Later, as chairman of the Joseph Levy Foundation, he agreed with his mother’s wish, to support my first project. This provided care workers with a greater understanding of dementia in people they looked after through specially designed training courses.
“Subsequently, the Levy family agreed to fund another innovative project, initiated with a group of carers, to provide specialist dementia nurses to support people like themselves. Peter then supported the Foundation’s vision to expand the project into the national charity which became Dementia UK.
“As a fellow trustee, I found him considerate, supportive and receptive to the views of others with different areas of expertise to his own.
“Without the unstinting support of the Levy family, many carers of people with dementia would have continued to struggle on their own and Dementia UK would not be in the position it holds today – the champion of the Admiral Nurse Service.”