Meet the Faculty of the Psychology of Older People’s Una Holden Award winner

At the Faculty's latest annual conference, FPOP was delighted to announce that Emily Ward had won the Una Holden award; an award which recognises outstanding achievement in an early-career psychologist working with older people.

Emily is a Senior Assistant Psychologist at a Memory Assessment Service and runs numerous care groups and cognitive workshops for older people, along with cognitive assessments. Alongside her one-to-one and group work, she's also been involved with several research pieces including one looking at a Fitbit-based physical activity and sleep hygiene intervention for older adults and a national research trial exploring online acceptance and commitment therapy for carers of people with dementia. 

Emily's nomination highlighted the significant contribution that she has made to the service and to the people accessing the service for both assessment and post diagnostic support. As a result of her hard work, commitment and empathy for the people she works with, waiting lists for post diagnostic support have significantly reduced. The nomination also notes her active involvement in encouraging the involvement of service users and their families within co-production. 

She shares how it felt to discover she's won the award in a departmental meeting, where her inspiration for working with older people comes from and what impact the award could have on her career.

How did you find out that you'd been nominated?

I actually didn't know that I was nominated until I got the award! My clinical supervisor Louise Birkett-Swan nominated me, and I found out in our Dementia and Older People's Psychology Service meeting. It was announced during the meeting that I had been awarded the Una Holden Award.

How did you feel when you found out that you'd won the award?

Very shocked to start with! It felt like a huge achievement, and I feel incredibly honoured to have received this award. I have worked hard to make positive changes, and I feel privileged to experience rewarding work that I enjoy so much. It's a lovely feeling and I am delighted to have this recognition. 

Can you tell me a bit about your day-to-day role?

I'm involved in lots of different aspects of the service, including memory assessment. When an older adult comes through our service, sometimes they'll be referred to me for more in-depth testing of their cognition. I carry out neuropsychological assessments to contribute to the diagnostic process and differential diagnosis. I also organise and lead the services' post-diagnostic support that we offer people diagnosed with dementia, and their loves ones. 

This includes the Next Steps Workshop, which is a one-off session to learn about the diagnosis and the support that's available in the community. We involve the wider MDT professionals, and third sector organisations and services. I facilitate the other groups that we offer including Living Well with Dementia and Cognitive Stimulation Therapy. The Living Well with Dementia group supports people to come to terms with their diagnosis, equips them with coping strategies, aiming to improve quality of life. Cognitive Stimulation Therapy is an evidence-based activity group for people with mild to moderate dementia. I meet with everyone who may be interested in groups one-to-one, to assess their suitability and tailor their support. 

I'm also involved with the Service User and Carer Reference Group, which is a countywide forum for service users and families to contribute to service development and co-production. 

Did you always want to work in services for older people?

Yes, I did. During my MSc Neuropsychiatry degree I was fascinated by neurodegenerative diseases, and became interested in working with older people. I became aware of the barriers in society, the stigma the surrounds dementia and how older people can be overlooked. This inspired me to want to contribute to making a positive difference in this area. 

What's your favourite part of your work?

I would say just knowing that I'm ensuring that people are getting the support that they need and deserve following a dementia diagnosis. So, when I when I see people at the Next Steps Workshop, I make the effort to try and speak to every single person that attends. And if I don't get that chance because they're very busy, I'll make sure I follow them up with a phone call.

The Service User and Carer Reference groups are also important to me. I have realised the true meaning of experts by experience, and the value this can bring to developing the service. I enjoy encouraging people to participate in this way, to ensure our service is representative of their views.

I really enjoy carrying out cognitive assessments and furthering my knowledge when faced with complexity. I enjoy building rapport with people during the assessment, ensuring that they feel safe and at ease during this anxiety-provoking process. Having a busy diary means that I'm seeing different people each day, and it's amazing to be able to offer support in so many different ways.

What opportunities do you think winning the Award will bring?

It really pushes me to make more of a positive difference to more people. I think personally, it's also helped my self-confidence in my own ability which I have doubted in the past. I am thrilled to have been recognised, and it is a huge push to continue working hard.

I'm positive that winning this award will help my future career. I hope to gain a place on clinical psychology doctoral training (DClinPsy), and I hope that achieving this award will support my application in this competitive field.