Topic: Dementia

The Memory Lane Café, run by Dementia Australia, aims to provide a social environment for people with dementia, their carers, family and friends to meet and share information while enjoying some entertainment and food.

You can also chat with trained staff and volunteers from Dementia Australia.

The Memory Lane Café is available in Bankstown and Picton.

Memory Lane Café dates for 2024:

For more information on the Memory Lane Cafe call Dementia Australia on 0482 188 147 or email NSW.memorylanecafe@dementia.org.au

Please contact NSW.memorylanecafe@dementia.org.au if you have any dietary requirements. Bookings are essential.

The new Advance Project Dementia provides practical, evidence-based training and resources which make it easier for aged and primary care professionals to initiate end-of-life conversations and assess the palliative care needs of people living with dementia.

The Advance Project Dementia gives people living with dementia the opportunity to express their needs and preferences for care at the end of life and have access to palliative care and support for their families and carers.

Who has the training been designed for?

• The training and resources have been specifically designed for clinicians, managers and care staff in aged and primary care settings
• The dementia specific training and resources are informed by the latest research and extensive input and feedback from an expert advisory group, GPs, nurses, allied health professionals, aged and primary care managers, care staff, and people living with dementia and their families.

How you can get involved?

The Advance Project team is looking for champions working in aged care or primary care who are interested in taking part in a train-the-trainer or mentoring program.

The free, flexible and brief interactive training sessions are held online in small groups via videoconference and led by a specialist palliative care nurse.

As a champion of the Train-the-Trainer and Mentoring program:

• You will participate in an initial one-hour training session
• Further training will then be tailored to your needs

Visit the Advance Care Project website or contact AdvanceProject@hammond.com.au to find out more or to participate.

A national television campaign has been launched to help carers of people living with dementia.

Called Dementia affects us all – and developed by Dementia Support Australia (DSA) – the campaign shines a particular focus on the increasing number of people living with dementia being cared for in their own homes.

According to the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare (AIHW), dementia is the leading cause of disease burden for older Australians.

About 70 per cent of people with dementia live at home with many carers unlikely to be aware of the support services available.

The commercials illustrate the manifestation of dementia behaviours through the narrative of a husband struggling to deal with his wife’s psychological symptoms.

The AIHW estimates that last year there were more than 350,000 unpaid carers supporting people living with dementia. These carers – usually women – often work up to 60-plus hours a week.

DSA has more than 300 trained consultants available 24/7. To contact the helpline, call 1800 699 799.

Watch the video 

Watch video series – understanding changed behaviours