In January 2010, I joined LinkedIn. I ‘linked in’ with three or four people I knew. So far, so good. And then I received a LinkedIn invitation from a certain Shirley Ayres. I’d never heard of her. I consulted my little book of social media ‘dos and don’ts’ and it said that you should only ‘Linkin’ with people that you know well. So I clicked on the ‘Ignore’ button…
Have you seen the film ‘Sliding Doors’? It is one of my favourites. A tiny difference in fate bringing about totally different outcomes. Rewind << I didn’t press ‘Ignore’, I pressed ‘Accept’. I caught the social media train and have hardly had a chance to draw breath…
Fast forward >> On 12 July 2013, I was very honoured to be part of the ‘Shirley Ayres Social Media Dream Team’, delivering the fabulous Care in the Digital Age’ a.k.a #KentDigicare event in Sittingbourne, Kent.
It has been a fascinating journey, both the fantastic people I have met and the specific ways in which social media has helped me grow my Whose Shoes? vision and tools and to champion #dementiachallengers and #makingitreal.
I wrote here about the first time I met Shirley in person – the first of many!
Along the way, I have watched with huge admiration as Shirley has progressed from being a maverick voice in the wilderness , chivvying everyone to see the power of social media and all things digital, to slowly seeing her dream become a reality.
- Shirley wanted CEOs to tweet – as themselves – and now, in increasing numbers, they do.
- Shirley wanted people to ‘get’ social media as a social, sharing, conversational tool, rather than a broadcasting tool – and many do. Some better than others. 😉
I hope that #Legoboy the film-maker and #Legogirl will be ‘WELL impressed’ with their inspirational nanny:
A lot has and will be written elsewhere about #KentDigiCare;
it was indeed a very significant milestone in the social movement.
My A-Z of random thoughts about the Dementia Congress last year is one of my most popular blogs so I hope you will enjoy this A-Z collection of random observations about #KentDigicare:
Awesome, Ayres! Or indeed Awesome Ayres. Huge congratulations, Shirley!
Blinds… blinded by science. Funny! – we were supplied with an A4 instruction sheet to operate basic appliances! 😉
Cables and other digital pre-requisites /… and indeed Mike Clark who is totally amazing for all things digital
Dementia diaries – fantastic idea by Kent Silk Team, recording the thoughts of young carers. (And they kindly gave me a copy)
… and Design
Energy! I *LOVED* the positive energy in the room
https://twitter.com/dr_know/status/355686729858031617
Family and carers – the topic of my workshops with Stuart Arnott. LOADS of resources exist… but who knows about them? A BIG shoutout for dementiachallengers.com
GPS systems –
“It is a good thing to keep tabs on Grandad”. Discuss. #whoseshoes
Health and Safety …but not at the expense of sharing a nice dinner with a lonely neighbour. The Casserole Club rocks.
Innovation – how to support innovators and entrepreneurs? An uphill battle. Believe me.
Jasmine Ali, whom I met (finally!) for the first time – talking about Patient Opinion and Care Opinion who enable people who use health and care services to ‘tell it like it is’ … a bit like the blue cards in Whose Shoes? 😉
Kent County Council The trail-blazing hosts. May more organisations follow!
Loneliness and the importance of LOCAL information to help people connect with their communities
Mindings Delighted to share a platform with Stuart Arnott – I like Mindings and he likes Whose Shoes? 🙂
Video feedback from the workshops. Ours is at 7.30 mins, following the fab @ClaireOT 🙂
New skills, new interests. Never too late!
Older people.Particularly the very old. Let’s not leave @Gills_Mum and contemporaries out in the cold in the race for all things digital.
#Dementia friendly? The digital onslaught. In the shoes of… Gill’s Mum 🙂 http://t.co/zIPrv1DHZO #kentdigicare
— Gill Phillips (@WhoseShoes) July 12, 2013
Processes to support what you do, not become what you do!
Quirky analysis of anything that moves. 2.5million ‘impressions’ in 24 hours. Wow!
Rebels and radicals Somehow we all seem to find each other. Hello @ClaireOT 🙂
Social media – and specifically Storify. well done Mike Clark!
Twitter and fab new tweeps. I’ve said it before… the POWER of Twitter
Unnecessary ‘stuff’ Yes, this duplicates Processes. Q.E.D.
Vic Rayner – and other good tweeps
Whose Shoes® – Making It Real – great to get a chance to run an extra impromptu workshop. Hoping Kent will move on from board version to digital! 😉
Xcellence in all things geeky
Yecco Another useful resource!
Zone – some Kent people were outside their comfort zone but went ahead anyway – well done all! Well done to James Lampert and fellow digital champions!
Whose Shoes? A catalyst for change in health and social care 
This is brilliant to share with those who were unable to attend, well done (do you ever sleep?) and well done to everyone who contributed, it was a really inspiring day.
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