BABICM Annual Conference 2021
Last month, Cecily Lalloo and Misty McCrory attended the two-day 25th anniversary BABICM Conference at the Vox Conference Centre in Birmingham. Here’s what they thought!
“The talks were very interesting,” said Embrace HR Limited Managing Director, Cecily Lalloo, “though some of them did go over our heads as they were quite technical!
“I was amazed at the diversity of speakers and the topics covered, some of which were quite controversial. There are only a handful of neuropsychologists in the country, and they are all bringing their research to the table.
“One of the speakers talked about listening, finding out about the environment in which our clients live, and understanding their behaviours that may be associated with their environment. They talked about medication and how a change in dispensing medication should be high on the list.”
The second day included displays by clients showcasing their talents. And, overnight, a dinner with awards and naming the new BABICM Chairperson, Vicki Gilman.
Ben is a stand-up comedian and supporter of brain injury awareness. He suffered serious head injuries in a motorcycle accident in Croatia 12 years ago, when he was just 21 years old. Ben was in a coma after the crash and, after being flown back to Britain in a special air ambulance, the promising young sportsman spent 10 months in a specialist rehabilitation unit. Although his recovery has been remarkable, Ben says his brain injury can still cause problems. He has since dedicated much of his time to raising awareness of brain injuries by appearing at various seminars, stand-up comedy shows and even appeared in the Channel 4 television show ‘First Dates’.
Misty said, “Attending the BABICM conference proved to be an interesting two days, with some thought-provoking speakers. It was great to get out and meet people face to face again. It was clear that HR is not at the forefront of people’s minds, and this is something that needs to change. We learnt that recruitment of carers is an issue for so many – employers are finding it hard to find staff and the recruitment process is generally taking much longer than usual. There was also considerable interest in Cecily’s upcoming book!”
Cecily concluded, “We had such a fabulous couple of days at the Conference and we’re looking forward to the next one in December! We met many case managers and solicitors who we had not met face to face before – it was so good to put faces to names as well.”
You can find out more about the conference on the BABICM website.
Main banner image courtesy of Mike Beard – see if you can find Cecily and Misty!
Pictured below: Ben Shevlin, Cecily and Misty sharing a selfie at the awards dinner, and an image of the layout.
