Judith Oades

What I do as a member of the IP Advisory Group:

I am the Chair, I attend Advisory Group meetings, OSG meetings and conferences. I am also a member of the Involving People network.

When and why I joined Involving People:

I joined Involving People nearly three years ago after meeting with the Involving People director at a conference to disseminate a research project I had been working on with researchers from Bangor University. Age Concern approached me for this project. I joined in the hope that something I may do will help improve the lives and health of other people.

What I did before Involving People:

I am married, cared for my grandmother for 28 years during which time I had four children went to work and also studied: Gerontology at Surrey University (approximately 1988 due to illness unable to finish course), Community Care Course at Twickenham College, City & Guilds N.V.Q level 2 Adult Health and Social care Work based, City& Guilds N.V.Q level 3 Adult Health and Social care - work based, City & Guilds A 1 Assessors Award Adult Health and Social Care at Coleg Menai.

Since moving to North Wales, and as a volunteer for Age Concern, I have worked with researchers from Bangor University on the Rural Wide project, attended Volunteer Training in research Short Courses, Bangor University/Age Concern, Social Gerontology, Interview Techniques, Data Analysis.

I have been a member of the Involving People Advisory Group for the past two and a half years and am currently the chair. I am currently working with researchers at both Bangor University and Swansea University on research projects.

What I want to do, but haven’t done yet:

Travel to other countries and see how they involve people in research.

Favourite famous quotation:

Nothing to do with research but, "The best way to keep someone is to let them go". This is because if you let them go they will be likely to return, if you try to keep them they will be reluctant to return.