Customer Faithful's Managing Director, Rick Harris addressed the American Society on Aging (ASA) Conference, in Chicago, Ill. (23-27 March).

The annual event brings leaders in the field of ageing from around the world, in order to share their knowledge and impact and bring about better services and products to the aging population.

Rick spoke on 'Dignity in Aging' - how a focus on patient voice and values can enable well-being. He drew upon his research body of work in dementia and Alzheimer's Disease, and co-presented a workshop with NSI's Principal Research Scientist, Sabrina Pagano.

"The ASA conference really is the event in the calendar that focuses entirely on the ageing population - how it is today, and what can be achieved in the future", said Rick Harris. "It's a great opportunity to share some of the findings from our research in this field with over 2,500 people from across both the lay and academic community."

Since 2009, Customer Faithful has been developing a series of research studies, uncovering the experiences and narratives of people living with a range of chronic health conditions.

"We've listened to elderly patients and their carers who are dealing with life-changing and life-threatening diseases including cancer, rheumatoid arthritis and dementia" explains Harris.

"Yet, whilst the clinical outcomes of treatment for these aging patients is well documented, we've found that outcomes as defined in patients'  own terms are less well reported."

"For this conference, we provided a clear rationale for how addressing dignity and other outcomes of importance to patients and their families can have a real impact on overall patient and carer well-being."

Rick and Sabrina concluded their presentation with an initial roadmap for how to uncover patient narratives to establish a clear plan for dignity-inclusive care.

A download of the presentation is available free on request from rick@customerfaithful.com.