Mark Griffin's Profile
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Who is Mark Griffin?
Mark Griffin, is a Dementia care specialist with a vision to positively “change the way carer’s think” when assisting those living with Dementia.
Mark started out as a care assistant at the age of 16 in a Dementia Care Home where he completed his apprenticeship in care. From there, he worked his way up the care industry over the last 22 years and is now a Director of his own Dementia Care Home. Like all businesses, it has had its up’s and down’s, yet has never compromised the care delivered to the amazing individuals residing in his care home.
Mark has a teaching qualification PTLLS, NVQ's in the care industry and is in his final year at Hull University completing a MSc in Dementia to gain the qualifications in his specialist field.
His aim is to provide a learning platform to educate carers how to deliver person centred care in a person cantered training approach, which will ultimately provide carers with the knowledge to assist those living with Dementia through situations and day to day living.
Throughout his caring career, Mark has highlighted the poor educational structure in the Care Industry and feels many providers and carers are failing due to the lack or awareness, training and the educational structure.
Over the past decade, away from his own dedications to care. Mark has helped countless families with advice, support and guidance to allow them to care for their loved ones. This includes visits to their homes, other care settings and local Colleges.
Mark is building this platform as he passionately believes those living with Dementia face day to day situations which are overlooked, misinterpreted, and are often approached in the wrong manner due to the lack of education and awareness. Mark believes being a carer is such a fantastic and rewarding role however, also believes that patience is not perpetual, and all carers require a break in some form. With the right approach, person centred learning platform and passion, carers will already feel much more supported and equipped with the right knowledge to make an instant positive impact for those they care for living with Dementia.
In the near future, Mark dreams of opening his own Dementia charity as this will allow him to support families in need with a rest break, equipment and to build a call centre for those who need some advice or find themselves at a crisis point and feel they have no where to turn.
In addition to this, Mark hopes to work alongside the educational governing bodies as well as the Department of Health and Social Care to assist in clearer guidance and frameworks for those providing care to those living with Dementia. At present, the care certificate (which covers one unit in Dementia, that can be completed in less than 30 minutes) is approved to be enough. In Mark’s experience, he feels this is extremely poor and is unfortunately the reason many providers are failing. In 2015 Training gaps were identified in 71% of care homes told to improve by the CQC https://www.communitycare.co.uk/2015/10/28/training-deficit-among-care-home-staff-leaving-residents-risk-investigation-finds/
Why The Dementia Guy?
This appears less informal; Mark can often struggle to remember names yet always remembers a face. This appeared a simple option for when an organisation or a carer says, “so, who helped you?” The Dementia guy seemed simple, yet effective.
Why the Solar system of Dementia?
Approximately 67,937,106 people are living in the UK April 2024. There are no two personalities the same from all those individuals. However, there are some common characteristics within Dementia.
Dementia UK state there are stages to Dementia, as do Alzheimer’s UK, Teepa Snow invented the 6 Gems theory which is a classification system in which categorises stages of Dementia through 6 Gems.
Although we have to be extremely careful that we are not “labelling people” in anyway. It is important to educate others how to care for those living with Dementia. Whether this be through the stages of Dementia, The Gems theory or Mark’s very own Solor system theory. All are relatable, educational and help others to understand Dementia. However, similarly, all have their flaws or can be disagreed with depending on the interpreter.