At long last we began our pilot sessions this week. Our very first one took place at Woodside Grange Care Home in Rhos on Sea on Tuesday afternoon and a couple more new ones will start next week.

These training sessions are important, not only for the people who are testing the website and app, but also for ourselves as we learn what we will need to speak about and find out what works and what doesn’t. And it also shows how much we have all grown to rely on computers. One interesting discovery is how few care homes have access to wi-fi. In this day and age, so many of us can’t live without regular access to our computer. And it isn’t just the young. My Mother who is in her mid 80s has a Facebook page and emails her best friend in New Zealand regularly.

The sessions are for people living with dementia and their friends, family and carers within the Conwy area. We are assuming no computer experience but will be adapting as we go along to suit different needs. The sessions will also dictate the final look of the website and app. During these past couple of months, it has been interesting to hear the different (feedback) when we explain what we are doing. From surprise that evidence shows people with dementia can enjoy learning to use a touch screen computer to happiness that they will be able to enjoy and share in a fun activity with their family.

We have also this month been joined by Laura O’Philbin, who is working with us for 12 months as part of the KESS project. KESS is the Knowledge Economy Skills Scholarship – a project managed by Bangor University that allows businesses and social enterprises to benefit from a practical research project undertaken by a M Res student. We are keen to understand better the benefits of Book of You and life reminiscence therapy, and snapped up the opportunity! Laura will study under Professor Bob Woods at Bangor University, one of the UK’s leading dementia academics, and has the invaluable experience of studying under Dr Steven Sabat at Georgetown University Washington DC.