What we do
Welcome to the RDS world of support, where we hope we can be of help to you, your family and friends. The Direct Support Team provide free information, advice and support for over 6,000 RDS members; helping from pre-diagnosis navigation through to post-bereavement support. The team all have a vast array of experience within clinical, research, charity, community and residential settings. They endeavour to help whatever your situation and complement each other with their unique skill sets.
Meet the team
Nikki Zimmermann – Head of Support Services
As a member of the RDS Executive Team, Nikki leads the RDS Direct Support Team and has over a decade of experience working within Cognitive Neurology Clinics and Memory Services. She has worked for many years in areas such as; service development and delivery within the community, partnership working with health and social care professionals and commissioners, and adapting services in order to meet the unique and individual needs of people living with dementia and their families.
In her RDS role, Nikki specialises in pre-diagnosis navigation and post-diagnostic support, supporting those at risk of familial dementias, and works closely with the clinical team to plan and coordinate the virtual and in person support group meetings. Additionally, she supports health and social care professionals and international partners to enhance their understanding of rare dementias, to enable them to better support people affected by rare dementias.
Jill Walton
Jill has had the privilege of supporting people affected by rare dementias for the past 30 years, with their stories continually informing her practice. She co-founded the FTD support group in the early 1990’s and subsequently facilitated the development of the four other rare dementia support groups at UCL, culminating in the merger which formed Rare Dementia Support in 2016.
Jill has a professional nursing background, and degrees in psychology and gerontology. She works on a wide variety of projects at RDS, with her current work focussing on the experience of grief and loss in carers of people living with a rare dementia, and the development of an online support intervention to help people identify, process and live with the impact of the losses so frequently experienced.
Karen Tapson
Karen has over 20 years’ experience supporting people living with dementia and their families in the community. She has worked closely for many years with community partners, running NHS post-diagnostic clinics and supporting GPs with annual dementia reviews. During this time, Karen created and facilitated a number of support groups, including groups for people affected by FTD and other rare dementias.
In her RDS role, Karen provides one-to-one support to people affected by rare dementias, and is the RDS Peer Support Group lead. These groups are disease specific and run monthly on-line via zoom for 90 minutes. They provide a confidential and safe space to meet others living with or supporting a family member living with the same diagnosis. Karen also leads the RDS Champions programme, supporting RDS members to raise awareness of rare dementias in the community.
