This blog began as a journal of a Winston Churchill Memorial Trust Travel Award visit to the USA to study how Lifestyle Redesign could be used in Occupational Therapy to improve the hospital/home interface for older people. It has continued to record developments and inspiration gained from that experience since returning from Los Angeles early in 2012.

3 Reasons to follow this blog...

Be Inspired-
WCMT travel awards are open to all British citizens

Be Involved- learn about Lifestyle Redesign programs and contribute to the discussion about the potential of this approach.

Be Information Technology savvy- just learning how blogs work is a new skill for many of us!


Thursday 28 June 2012

Keeping up with the blogs...

I have started following a couple of great new blogs and want to share them with my followers- thank you to everyone for keeping on reading my blog!

  • Age Scotland (the Scottish 'arm' of Age UK) is a charity that works to improve the lives of all people in  later life. Age Scotland celebrates ageing and challenges ageist prejudice.

  • KT-Equal is a consortium of UK researchers dedicated to extending quality life for older and disabled people.

Both have really interesting blogs that are regularly updated and that you can easily sign up to follow. They both fit in completely with the whole ethos of Lifestyle Redesign and all my learning during my travel award.
To see what they have to offer look at 'Blogs I am following' (scroll down the right hand side of this page).

Tuesday 19 June 2012

Winston Churchill Memorial Trust Award Ceremony

Last month I attended the WCMT award ceremony in Westminster, London (right next to the Abbey) for those who have recently completed their travel fellowships. The ceremony was organised very much like a graduation and there was lots of time to meet other 'Fellows' before and after the formalities. The guest of honour was Baroness Tanni Grey-Thompson, who spoke about her athletic career and her subsequent involvement with the WCMT. She is an inspiring role model and I think we all felt it an honour to have her present our award.

Receiving my award from Baroness Tanni Grey-Thompson
The whole day was so inspiring. I met people who have done such a range of travel fellowships, the variety of things covered is incredible. The ways that people intended to make use of their learning was also very interesting. Many people, and the WCMT staff, felt that the benefits would be apparent over time, not always immediately. Long lasting and profound changes have been seen in the future work of many Fellows. I felt more and more aware of the great honour that I have had in recieving a travel award- and very concious of the motto engraved on the medallion, 'With Opportunities Comes Responsibility'.