Mrs Samita Kirve

BSc (Occupational Therapy), MSc (Dementia Studies), PGCAP, FHEA

Senior Lecturer in Occupational Therapy

Department of Sport, Health Sciences and Social Work

Role

As a Senior lecturer, I prepared and delivered different units such as Safeguarding, Mental Capacity Act to level 4-7 students within the Allied Health Professions portfolio. I designed and developed the curriculum for a new BSc (Hons) OT programme. I developed and taught person-centred Dementia care unit to third year Adult nursing and MSc Mental Health Nursing students.

I developed and delivered OT modules on Neurology, Mental health conditions and Building Design & Adaptations to level 4-7 OT students. I delivered a career pathway workshop for third year BSc (OT) students in 2014 and 2015. At BYL Nair OT Teaching hospital in India, I taught level 4-7 OT students various topics such as Neurology, Orthopaedics, Mental health and Geriatrics.

Apart from my teaching experience at the Universities, I have been a dementia trainer since 2010. I have educated hospital multi-disciplinary teams (MDT), carers and family members in various aspects of Dementia care. I also conducted a special training course in dementia care for community transport drivers at Hertfordshire county council.

Areas of expertise

  • Mental Health
  • Neuro Sciences
  • Dementia

Teaching and supervision

Supervision

I have been involved in supervising MSc students with their dissertations.

Research

Research interests

  • Sensory processing issues in people with dementia
  • Communication & Behaviour in dementia
  • Inclusivity and sustainability in higher education

Research projects

  • Recently conducted a study on impact of COVID-19 on activities and engagement of older adults in the community. Submitted for publication
  • Conducted an action research project with nursing students at University of Bedfordshire between Nov 19 and Feb 20. Submitted for publication.
  • Abstract accepted to present my study at 34th Alzheimer’s disease International Conference in March 2020 (now moved to December 2020) at Singapore
  • Conducted and presented a study on Training in Care Homes for People with Dementia at the MSNAP conference organized by Royal College of Psychiatrists, London in Sep 14
  • Conducted a project for Dementia clients in Harrow, using Dementia Care Mapping- Supported living (DCM-SL)
  • Conducted a study on the effectiveness of Reablement of older adults using Canadian Occupational Performance Measure

Also see:

  • ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-5152-7855

Centres and institutes

Publications

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Professional information

Memberships of professional bodies

  • Health and Care Professions Council (HCPC)
  • Fellow of Higher Education Academy (FHEA)
  • World Federation of Occupational Therapists (WFOT)- individual member
  • All India Occupational Therapy Association

Further details

About myself

I am a good team player with excellent communication, interpersonal and networking skills. I am affable and able to easily build rapport with team members, stakeholders and external agencies. I am multilingual and apart from English, I can speak Marathi, Hindi, Gujarati and Punjabi languages. I use reflective practice and evidence based research on a regular basis to analyse my work and make improvements. I am a keen learner and take part in various in-service trainings, online and classroom courses to keep my professional knowledge up-to-date. I regularly attend conferences and exhibitions to learn about recent developments in Occupational Therapy, Health & Social Care, and Neurology etc.

I enjoy volunteering and helping community. I also conduct workshops to increase awareness about Healthy aging and Dementia in Asian communities on a voluntary basis. Recently during Covid-19 pandemic, I created a video series on Dementia awareness in a regional Indian language. I love travelling and am interested in different culture and cuisine. I am also writing articles on changes in lifestyle during Covid-19. I love cooking and write an Instagram food blog (bombaytolondon) on Indo-British fusion recipes.