Patrick, one of our lived experience colleagues, has been shortlisted as one of three finalists in the Campaigns and Influencing category, of the Alzheimer’s Society Dementia Hero Awards 2023.
The Dementia Hero Awards focus on celebrating the involvement and participation of people affected by dementia and the impact they have for others living with the condition. The awards recognise the achievements of individuals, groups and organisations that best demonstrate the impact of meaningful involvement of people affected by dementia.
Patrick is a much valued lived experience colleague in the Dementia United team. Patrick is living with early onset dementia and has campaigned to raise understanding and awareness. Among his notable endeavours he has a long running association not only with Dementia United but also with the Alzheimer’s Society and LGBT Foundation.
It’s fair to say that without Patrick we wouldn’t be talking about our LGBTQ+ communities experiences of dementia throughout Greater Manchester. For the best part of the last decade, Patrick has been instrumental in ensuring that not just his voice, but the voices and experiences of many seldom-heard people in our communities continue to be heard. Not only has he been an extremely powerful speaker when discussing his own experiences, but he continually advocates for improved services for LGBTQ+ people affected by dementia. He is constantly working with health and care organisations to improve inclusion and visibility for LGBTQ+ people. Motivated by an unstoppable desire to improve the lives of those affected by dementia, who like himself feel that services are often just unaware of the needs of LGBTQ+ people, Patrick is an inspiration to all of us and he deserves all the awards and accolades that I’m sure he will continue to collect. I just hope he has a trophy cabinet big enough! Andrew Gilliver – Greater Manchester Pride in Practice Coordinator (LGBT Foundation)
Patrick was awarded Positive Role Model of the Year in 2019 at The National Diversity Awards and was also honoured as one of 10 everyday LGBTQ heroes at the Attitude Pride Awards in 2021. He is a much sought after speaker throughout the UK, Europe, North America and Barbados – where he is originally from. Patrick recently travelled to Malta to participate in a talk on frontal lobe atrophy in collaboration with CareMalta and the Malta Dementia Society. The talk was one of numerous events taking place during Malta Pride Week (We need to talk about dementia in LGBTIQ community (timesofmalta.com)
Patrick helped to launch Bring Dementia Out to improve services for LGBT+ people affected by dementia. Patrick works to ensure that LGBTQ+ people are included in dementia work at a local level by gathering the support of the Mayor of Greater Manchester, working with Dementia United and other partners. It was this work that we built on when setting up the Greater Manchester LGBTQ+ Dementia online support group in summer 2021. Patrick was one of the LGBT Steering group members from the outset of the group being set up and he also attends the group. This online support group is run in partnership with Dementia United, and LGBT Foundation as well as with VCSE groups and providers from all ten boroughs of Greater Manchester
We wish Patrick every success at the awards ceremony on April 28th 2023.