Lenny ‘the dementia friendly barber’ will be joining our conference line up.

Lenny, who worked previously in sales and marketing, had a change of direction a few years ago and trained to become a barber. He is the world's first mobile dementia-friendly barber to go around care homes in Northern Ireland and provide a tailored barber service – challenging the beauty salon concept, providing a personalised experience for men. But it’s about more than just the barbering – it is about the experience. Visit his website. 

Prof Ritchie is the Professor of Psychiatry of Ageing at the University of Edinburgh and Director of Edinburgh Dementia Prevention

Prof Ritchie is the Professor of Psychiatry of Ageing at the University of Edinburgh and Director of Edinburgh Dementia Prevention, having moved from his role as Senior Lecturer in the Centre for Mental Health at Imperial College London in October 2014. 

In 2016, he was appointed as Associate Director of the Edinburgh Clinic Research Facility (CRF) and elected Chair of the Scottish Dementia Research Consortium (SDRC) in 2017.

He has driven forward on his commitment to promote and grow that consortium to assist Scotland and Scottish based researchers from all over the world to achieve its objectives and theirs. His primary research interest is in the maintenance of brain health in mid-life to mitigate the risks of initiation and progression of degenerative brain diseases that may lead to dementia. To achieve this he leads as Chief Investigator on the EPAD (European Prevention of Alzheimer’s Dementia) Programme, the PREVENT Dementia Project and the Scottish Brain Health Register. 

Most recently he was appointed as an Associate Director of DPUK2 (Dementias Platform UK).

June Andrews is an authoritative dementia expert with a focus on improving the public understanding of dementia.

Most of her clinical career has been working with older people and people with mental health problems. For ten years she was the director of a university team that supported people with dementia and their caregivers with information, consultancy and training based on research evidence about what is practical and makes a difference. She is a Fellow of the Royal College of Nursing, and has been recognised as one of the most influential clinicians in the UK.

As a professor emeritus she now advises the Dementia Services Development Trust, a charity that focuses on disrupting popular misconceptions about dementia. Her book, Dementia; what you need to know, and its UK version, Dementia the One Stop Guide have been described as, “Exactly what is needed. Sensible advice from someone who knows what she is talking about.”

Her blog posts are sometimes controversial, but her independence means that she can speak out when others aren’t able. She says, “The dementia field these days is crowded, and frequently competitive or even combative. Everyone has the right to be heard. Even me.”

Further speaker announcements coming soon.