Teepa Snow is one of the world’s leading advocates and educators for anyone living with dementia or other forms of brain change.
Teepa is an Occupational Therapist with over forty years of rich and varied clinical and academic experience. Her philosophy is reflective of her education, work experience, medical research, and first-hand caregiving experiences. Her advocacy efforts led her to the development of the GEMS® State Model for understanding the progression of dementia and changes in abilities. She also created the Positive Approach to Care® training strategies, which are effective techniques for anyone seeking to optimize care and support for those living with brain change. As the Education Director of Eastern North Carolina’s Alzheimer’s Association, she also helped to create the nation’s award-winning DVD entitled Accepting the Challenge: Providing the Best Care for People with Dementia. Her user-friendly approaches provide guidance and leadership to national efforts to promote best practices in care.
Vic Rayner is Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the National Care Forum, joining the organisation in 2016.
As CEO she chairs the government national workforce advisory group. In addition, she chairs the National Social Care Advisory Group on social care and technology and has been at the forefront of promoting digital transformation across care. She sits on a range of government and national specialist groups with a focus on the social care workforce, digital transformation, new models of care and regulation. She has recently stepped down from chairing the working group of the APPG on adult social care.
Vic is a regular national and international speaker and has extensive knowledge and expertise across a wide range of care, support, housing and social policy agendas. Prior to joining the NCF, she was the CEO of Sitra, a leading national membership body championing excellence in housing, health, care and support. Vic is the incoming chair of the Global Ageing Network and has worked extensively with international partners on key areas of innovation and change. She is the current Chair of the Care Provider Alliance, a role she will hold until September 2025. In addition, she was awarded an Hon. Professorship in Health Sciences by City University, working closely with the My Home Life programme and the wider University agenda around ageing and care. She was awarded an OBE for services to social care in 2021.
Donald has worked for many years in the health and social care sectors across the United Kingdom. A particular professional focus has been issues related to dementia, bereavement, palliative care and individual human rights. He is the CEO of Scottish Care, the representative body for care providers in the independent sector in Scotland, namely private, charitable, and employee-owned care organisations which includes care home and home care organisations.
He serves on several Scottish, UK and international charities and boards related to health and social care including at present as a Director of the Global Ageing Network. A weekly blogger, podcaster and public speaker he is an active campaigner for older person rights.
Doctor, specialist in geriatrics and palliative medicine, researcher at the Medical University in Poznań (head of the Department and Clinic of Palliative Medicine, where she created the Geriatrics Laboratory). A graduate of the Medical University of Poznań (1988), but also the European Academy for Medicine of Aging (Sion, Switzerland) - postgraduate studies in geriatrics at the European level (2008).
Chairwoman of the Management Board of the Polish Gerontological Society (since 2013), Polish representative in the Geriatric Section of the European Organization of Physicians (European Union of Medical Specialists – Geriatric Section; since 2015), member of the Team for the organization of prevention and health care for the elderly at the Minister of Health (since 2023), provincial consultant in the field of geriatrics in the province. Greater Poland (from 2021).
Previously, among others:
For years, she has been involved in creating care for the elderly (including co-creating standards of geriatric care in Poland) and research on old age. She is co-author of over 300 publications in the field of geriatrics and gerontology. The focus of her research and organizational interests is the cooperation of professionals in the geriatric team to improve care for sick elderly people; among others co-created the first Pharmaceutical Care Point in Poland (financed as a public task from the funds of the city of Poznań), awarded by the Minister of Health for innovative implementation.