Right at Home’s Esmé and Kelly are bringing dementia awareness into the community
Published: 19/10/2026
At Right at Home Worthing & Shoreham District, we believe that understanding dementia shouldn’t just be part of working in care. It’s something that can benefit all of us.
That’s why we’re delighted that our Training and Field Care Manager, Esmé Maunsell, and Senior Carer, Kelly Herriott, have trained as Dementia Interpreters and are now looking forward to sharing their knowledge with people across our local community.
Having seen first-hand how dementia can affect people and their families, both Esmé and Kelly are passionate about helping others better understand the condition, feel more confident supporting those living with it, and recognise the difference that a little understanding can make.
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So, what is a Dementia Interpreter?
A Dementia Interpreter is someone who helps others understand dementia through hands-on education, information and conversation. The aim is to make dementia easier to understand, challenge common misconceptions and help people recognise how they can support someone living with the condition.
Dementia can affect how a person communicates, experiences the world around them and manages everyday life. Sometimes, knowing how to respond or what to say can feel difficult, particularly if you haven’t had much experience of dementia.
By helping people understand these changes and look beyond the diagnosis, Dementia Interpreters can encourage more positive, compassionate interactions and help create communities where people living with dementia feel understood, included and valued.
And that’s exactly what Esmé and Kelly want to help achieve here in Worthing, Shoreham and the surrounding areas.
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Building on their experience
Although Esmé and Kelly had completed dementia training before, their recent course with Training 2 Care trainer, Mick gave them the opportunity to build on their existing knowledge, share experiences from their work in the field and explore new ways to support both carers and the wider community.
Esmé really enjoyed the opportunity to learn more, explaining:
“I felt we both learnt a lot and even though we had already been through the training last year, we both felt as though you can always learn something new. It was nice to bring in our experiences working out on the field and link them to ways we can support others.”
The training also gave them a closer look at the dementia app and how it could be a useful resource for carers supporting clients in their own homes.
For Kelly, one of the biggest benefits was feeling confident about passing on what she had learnt.
She said:
“Mick was amazing, such a lovely, friendly man. I feel we could have learnt something new every time we sat down and chatted to him. His knowledge of dementia is outstanding.”
She added:
“It really is a great training course and Mick made me confident to train this back out to others.”
It’s this enthusiasm for learning and sharing knowledge that Esmé and Kelly are now bringing to their plans for the local community.
Dementia awareness is for everyone
You don’t have to be a carer, healthcare professional, or have a family member living with dementia to benefit from learning more about it.
Whether you run a local business, organise a community group, work in a school, support members of the public or simply want to understand dementia better, there is something valuable in knowing more about the experiences of people living with the condition.
We want to make dementia awareness accessible to everyone. Esmé and Kelly are keen to visit local groups and organisations, share practical knowledge and create opportunities for people to ask questions in a welcoming environment.
By opening up these conversations, we hope to help people feel more confident around dementia and encourage small changes that can make everyday life more comfortable and inclusive for those affected.
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Could Esmé and Kelly visit your group or organisation?
Esmé and Kelly are now welcoming enquiries from across Worthing, Shoreham and the surrounding areas from anyone interested in arranging a dementia awareness session.
Whether you’d like to organise something for your workplace, community group, organisation or another group of people, we’d love to hear from you.
If you’d like to book a session or find out more, get in touch with Right at Home Worthing & Shoreham District. Esmé and Kelly would be delighted to help more people learn about dementia and play their part in building a more dementia-friendly community.
Because the more we understand dementia, the better we can support the people living with it.