My story

Hello,

I'm Gina. I've been working professionally in care for X years. [ Some single paragraph intro ].

[ NOTE to editor Gina - I think bits like this should be part of this page ] thanks Adam and I have another two the Open uni did so it’ll be good to include those as well…here they are ..I’m trying to post the links in here but I can’t. I guess there’s a specific way to attach these as you have done with the one below but I don’t know what to do so that’s something that is really going to be useful for me to know I’ll add the links into an email so you have them and maybe you could put one in and then when we speak next week, you could show me how to put one in 

what can we do so this display stands out as other sections with title divides ? 

Seeing something neglected in care [ - Just an example title to break this up - ]

When I was eight, I would visit care homes with my nan, accompanying her along with my sister whilst she led the creative arts sessions with some of the residents. I watched as some residents engaged fully while others sat quietly at the edges of the adjacent  lounge with its blaring TV. At the time, I couldn’t put it into words, but what I noticed were the residents who weren’t engaging. They appeared scared, isolated within  themselves and disconnected.  Years later I discovered they were living with an advanced dementia. Those moments stayed with me and I believe that’s when my empathy for vulnerable people living with a dementia began.

Years later, when I began my Health and Social Care degree with the Open University in 2011, a module on dementia care sparked something I had never expected. I trained as a volunteer Dementia Friends champion in 2012 and began delivering community sessions six months later. Over time, patterns emerged: people were confused and frustrated by the lack of support for those living with dementia and their families. That observation became the seed for founding the Exeter Dementia Action Alliance in 2014, which I was proud to lead until 2025. During this time I have delivered hundreds of dementia sessions reaching over four thousand individuals in the community, raising awareness and aspiring to change perceptions and increase understanding of the complexities that can accompany a dementia diagnosis.

People often ask me what drives me. I explain it derives from my interest in people, the human mind and a recognition of how vulnerability can leave someone feeling misunderstood. But I also realise it comes from those early memories of care home residents, lonely, isolated or simply overlooked, moments that left a lasting impression and shape everything I do.

Since then I have had the privilege of supporting with many organisations and families with guidance, support and more recently advocacy  work. I authored ‘United: Caring for Our Loved Ones Living with Dementia’ illustrated by the late Tony Husband in 2022, host a voluntary local radio show  ‘Living Better with Dementia’ on Phonic FM when there’s a fifth Saturday in the month.  

I’m looking forward to publishing my second book in 2026.

Alongside this work, I’m also an independent life celebrant, leading meaningful services and walking alongside families to support them through these difficult times. I believe in being fully present in the moment and in creating connections that are truly meaningful, whether that’s in a care setting, a community session or a life celebration.

I have a strong interest in facilitating important, necessary conversations about death and dying, and I believe planning ahead is vital, not morbid, but a way for individuals to make conscious choices while they can, and to make things easier for those left behind. Celebrating someone’s life, rather than just mourning their loss, is central to how I approach both my care work and celebrancy.

The experiences I witnessed as a child and the understanding I’ve gained since guide my work today: to connect meaningfully, support people and families and help create moments that truly matter, whether in life, care or celebration.

What others have written about me

Alumni Association: OU graduate Gina on making the world more dementia-friendly

Originally published on Alumni Association.

“I want to end the stigma that still exists for people and families living with dementia,” says Gina, who began studying Dementia Care during her Health and Social Care degree with The Open University.

During her studies, Gina created the Exeter Dementia Action Alliance (EDAA), a foundation governed by the Charities Trust which is dedicated to raising awareness of dementia and making Exeter a dementia-friendly city. In 2020, the Alliance will celebrate five years since it launched.

Gina has trekked the Great Wall of China to raise funds for Alzheimer’s Research UK, was named Dementia Champion of the Year 2016 by the Alzheimer’s Society at the Dementia Friendly Awards and recently received a British Empire Medal for her voluntary services for people with Dementia in Devon.

“My OU studies have been pivotal in my dementia work,” Gina tells us. “It’s been nothing more than transformational, leading me down a path I would never have imagined.”

‘The biggest health care challenge of this century’

Since qualifying in 2017, Gina hasn’t lost any steam in her dementia awareness mission.

“Dementia may touch all of us in one way or another in the future, and I feel that people everywhere – including those in government – are taking heed of what is the biggest health and social care challenge of this century.”

Gina is a volunteer Dementia Friends Champion for the Alzheimer’s Society and has delivered over 125 awareness sessions reaching nearly 1,900 people, including those around the world.

“I’m just back from a group trip in Vietnam and delivered a Dementia Friends session to 10 of my fellow travellers. There were five different nationalities and it took place in quite a unique setting – a sleeper train!”
 

‘Small changes can make a big difference’

Gina believes that having more knowledge of dementia can help communities to respond in supportive and transformative ways. As well as continuing to collaborate with care homes and local businesses, Gina is working with local schools to increase dementia awareness from an early age.

Read the rest of the article at https://alumni.open.ac.uk/stories/gina-awad.

Open University: ‘the catalyst for everything I've achieved in raising awareness of dementia’

[ NOTE to Gina This is also in the blog section. Syndicating  articles from other sites about you within the blog may make more sense as over time you could have a good few so instead of showing them here they could be referenced (linked to) from this page ]

In 2018 The Open University wrote and article about my study and career development:

OU graduate Gina Awad was described as average by her school teachers, something which has haunted her over the years. But her complete dedication to raising awareness of dementia within her home community of Exeter has seen her receive a string of commendations for ‘outstanding work’. She’s not so average now…

Gina created the Exeter Dementia Action Alliance (EDAA) in 2015 and has trekked the Great Wall of China to raise funds for Alzheimer’s Research UK, in addition to receiving a Pride of Devon award in 2015. She got a Lord Mayor of Exeter’s Commendation for her voluntary work, and was named Dementia Champion of the Year 2016 at the Alzheimer’s Society National Dementia Friendly Awards, reflecting on her work one year later for the Alzheimer’s Society.

Dementia: Inspiring action

And if that isn’t enough, her outstanding contribution to dementia friendly communities has seen her name appear on a list of 100 influential women in and around Exeter and a top 70 list of most inspiring women in Devon.

[...]As well as campaigning to raise awareness, Gina also studied a BSc (Hons) in Health and Social Care with the OU, graduating in 2017. Study, she says, has been the catalyst for everything she has achieved in the field of dementia.

‘Fear prompted me to study’

“It was fear that prompted me to study dementia. My grandmother delivered creative arts classes in care homes when I was a child and I used to accompany her to the sessions with my sister.

[...]“I’ve always been interested in the human mind and it was a friend who first introduced me to the OU in 2009 when she was studying K101 An introduction to health and social care. She thought I would enjoy the content and structure of this module so encouraged me to register – which I did.”

[...]Gina starts a studying for a postgraduate certificate in dementia studies with the University of Stirling in 2019.

Read the full original article on The Open University website.

Some more others have written about me

• I was interviewed by the Open University
• Open University wrote about me: ‘the catalyst for everything I've achieved in raising awareness of dementia’

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