CONNECTIONS Supporting Australians with Dementia Summer 2017
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CONNECTIONS Supporting Australians with dementia Summer 2017 Bigger, Stronger, Bolder Welcome to Dementia Australia Maree McCabe, Dementia Australia CEO Dementia Australia ACT Greetings, Our Vision: A society committed to the pre- Welcome, as we come to you as Dementia Australia. The newly unified, bigger, stronger, vention of dementia, while valu- bolder voice of Alzheimer’s Australia. ing and supporting people living with dementia. Our 17th Alzheimer’s Australia Biennial National Dementia Conference was held from 17-20 Oc- tober in Melbourne this year. It was at this event that our chair, Professor Graeme Samuel AC, We value: officially launched Dementia Australia. The conference had the theme of “Be the • the worth of every individual Change”, and included a series of workshops and • strength and unity with speakers, both local and international, including respect for diversity Naomi Feil, Developer of the Validation Method, Dr Cameron Camp, Director of Research, Center for Applied Research in • co-operative working Dementia, Ohio USA and Kate Swaffer, Chair, CEO and co-founder of Dementia relationships Alliance International. They were four inspiring days full of inspiring speakers, extraordinary networking and a focus on transformation of care to improve the • organisational integrity quality care and lives of people living with dementia, their families and carers. • innovation, creativity and The theme prompts us to remember that we all need to Be the Change required to flexibility achieve transformation across the sector. • the contribution of volunteers. We are excited that our dementia friendly communities’ project continues to expand. This is an important step in encouraging our community including businesses to become dementia friendly, allowing all people living with dementia to CONTACT US live a life with meaning and purpose. To coincide with the launch of Dementia Australia, the new voice of Alzheimer’s (02) 6255 0722 Australia, a survey was commissioned into Australians understanding of dementia by Dementia Australia. The results of the survey, conducted by IPSOS Australia, 159 Maribyrnong Avenue had an alarmingly low response to the understanding of dementia within the general community. Kaleen ACT 2617 More than half the survey respondents did not understand the relationship [email protected] between Alzheimer’s disease and dementia; almost 40 per cent of respondents did not know that dementia is not a normal part of ageing, while 39 per cent of people agreed they felt awkward around someone with dementia. As well, 41 per cent of dementia.org.au respondents said they found talking to someone with dementia confronting. These results show that as a country, there is still a great need to increase FOLLOW US people’s knowledge and awareness, not only of dementia and what it is, but how it effects every single Australian and what we can all do to help reduce the risk of dementia and increase awareness and support for those living with and caring for @DementiaAustraliaACT people living with dementia. As we head into the festive season, I ask that you consider a contribution towards our Christmas appeal. Your donation helps to fund our great many support services, research and advocacy. I want to thank you and acknowledge you for the difference you make to the lives of people impacted by dementia. @DementiaACT I wish you all the best for a safe and happy holiday season and look forward to seeing you at some of our upcoming events in 2018. dementia_act Warm regards Farewell from Rebecca Vassarotti Alzheimer’s Australia ACT Interim CEO Welcome, as we enter the new world of a unified organisation - Dementia Australia. It has been an extremely exciting time for us as we have prepared for the unification. We are seeing that this move means we can provide even better services to people living with dementia, their families and friends living in the Canberra region. We are extremely proud of the work we do in our local community and the achievements we have made as a stand-alone organisation. Now, with the support of our colleagues around the country, there are opportunities for us to do even more. While unification has been a focus, it has not detracted from the great work of our local staff. Dementia Awareness Month was exciting; providing us with an opportunity to highlight our work, connect with our community and deliver a range of fabulous public events and education activities. We have progressed the work on our Risk Reduction campaign ‘Keep your life in mind’ which was launched earlier this month, and we held our very important commemoration event ‘Honor, Celebrate, Reflect’. It has been a privilege and pleasure to support the board, staff, members and clients ofAlzheimer’s Australia ACT through this transition. There has been a huge amount of work involved, but everyone has engaged with good faith and an unwavering commitment to ensure that we serve our local community. Thank you for the opportunity to walk this part of the journey with you. Christmas Appeal “Dementia can be an agony for everyone in the family – especially at this time of year, when family means so much.” Trent As Trent’s family prepare to face their first Christmas without their Mum, they’re thinking about all the other families who are watching dementia take someone they love. Every day, another 244 Australian families are impacted by a diagnosis, and they need your help. Please will you donate today, so that Dementia Australia can help people like Trent through the devastating heartbreak and loss of dementia? To find out more about Trent’s story or to donate to the Christmas Appeal please visit www.dementia.org.au./xmas-appeal Marina’s fantastic life! When you meet Marina Germolus, the first thing too well what to expect from dementia: her mother you notice is a vibrant individual interested in books, died from Alzheimer’s at age 89, while her father ideas and a good laugh. A strong conversationalist, currently lives with Alzheimer’s disease. with an organised mind, she says it is her habit of “linear thinking” that helps her manage life with It had not occurred to Marina that two parents with Alzheimer’s disease. At 70, she looks back with Alzheimer’s might mean it could be a problem for her one day. Her parents’ doctors were not aware pleasure on “a fantastic life”. And she says life with of a familial link at the time of their diagnosis, and a dementia diagnosis is still fantastic. Attitude is the bulk of progress in understanding contributing everything. “There is no point sitting around saying genetic factors has been achieved in the past 20 ‘woe is me’. Just get on with it!” she says. years. Marina is very independent and her home is Marina says she knows “dementia will steal my carefully decorated with meaningful objects – exotic identity” and feels the cruelty of that. Marina puts art, ornaments and books that represent herself and her energy into living well with dementia and plans her memories - like an extension of her mind and for the future. Until then, Marina continues to live past reflecting back to her. She displays souvenirs her life to the fullest. gathered during extensive travels and a public service career that saw her manage public assets on a large scale throughout Australia. Paintings and objects of art connect her to ideas, people and family. Colours and patterns express her character: red and leopard print. Marina organises her living space strategically. Her wardrobe door is the central command console where she manages the memories she needs for daily life. Schedules, flyers, notes and reminders are all here – keeping the information she needs visible and in one place so she can plan her days and stay active. She enjoys going to Dementia Australia walking groups, attending community events, meeting friends and spending time with her son, John Carlo. The need to create a manageable home environment to support daily living will be quite familiar to people living with dementia and their carers. And it was familiar to Marina long before her own diagnosis last year. In fact, Marina knows Be The Change; National Dementia Conference World-leading experts on dementia assembled at the Melbourne Convention and Exhibition Centre in October for the 17th Alzheimer’s Australia Biennial National Dementia Conference. They were joined by more than 700 delegates, who were encouraged to ‘Be the Change’ in improving the quality of life and care of people impacted by dementia. The impressive line-up of speaking talent included Dr Sam Gandy, from the Mount Sinai Medical Centre in New York, who presented a keynote address entitled ‘What Would It Take to Get an Effective Alzheimer’s Drug?’ Dr Gandy was joined by Naomi Feil, pioneer of the world-renowned Validation method, who gave a presentation on how to apply Validation techniques to people living with dementia at times where others may have difficulty understanding these challenging expressions of unmet need and/or symptoms of dementia. The conference was officially opened by Dementia Advocate Christine Bryden, who was diagnosed with dementia in 1996, at the age of 46. Christine was joined on the program by South Australian of the Year 2017 Kate Swaffer, who was diagnosed with dementia in 2008 at the age of 49. The varied program featured five keynote presentations and 10 concurrent sessions from people living with dementia and their care partners, with other speakers ranging from researchers and medics, to health care professionals and academics. The conference also incorporated the impressive Feed Your Senses space, which showcased a dementia-friendly garden and cutting-edge technology designed to enhance the lives of people impacted by dementia. Dementia Australia CEO Maree McCabe said the conference provided delegates with a unique opportunity to explore leading approaches from across the globe that support people living with dementia and to improve the quality of life and care of people impacted by dementia.