Carla is a Registered Veterinary Nurse with a passion for supporting the bond between humans and animals. In 2015 she founded the District Veterinary Nurse role, as a veterinary nursing profession. She is also a campaigner for One Welfare-One Health. This campaign works to ensure veterinary practice and care becomes inclusive to all members of society. She is heavily involved in the development of the District Veterinary Nurse role. For this role, she also undertook additional training to supporting vulnerable people in looking after their beloved pets. Seeing the additional challenges of pet owners with dementia in caring for their ill pets led Carla to becoming a Champion. She wanted to raise understanding within her profession of dementia. Carla attended her Champion Induction in September 2018
This is Carla’s story:
'The greatest thing I took from the Information Session is to really appreciate the importance of how people feel and that you can impact on that. Clients love their animals and want to do everything for them and we have an important role in supporting them to do that. Some great actions have come out of my Sessions. One I remember was a Veterinary Nurse saying she would not just keep repeating instructions over and over but together with the pet owner put a plan in place to support them remembering when to give pets their medication. Supporting the human animal bond between a person living with dementia and their pet has a crucial contribution, as I see it; in enabling them to ‘live well with dementia’. I have made quite a few vets, vet receptionists and vet nurses Dementia Friends. It’s wonderful to see them wearing their badges. I would love for all veterinary practices across the country to be Dementia Friends'
"If you are a Dementia Friends Champion please know that the veterinary industry is in great need of you - to help them become Dementia Friends is invaluable. Why not contact your local Veterinary Practices. One good way to go about it is to phone and ask to speak with the Practice Manager to see if they will organise a whole practice Information Session. Emphasise that the whole team will benefit hugely. Its raising the much needed awareness that pet owners living with dementia are just like you and me, and we all need support to live well together with our pets. You can impact change, the change to support protecting the meaningful bonds of our patients and their owners. Only once we as an industry raise our understanding with empathy and compassion of how a pet owner living with dementia might be feeling, will we be able to ensure the welfare of our patients, and the wellbeing of our clients. On behalf of the veterinary industry, thank you so much for helping us'
