This month we recognise the prevalence of dementia in Healthy North Coast’s communities and join Dementia Australia and other organisations in building awareness of, and capacity to support, those living with dementia and their loved ones.
Dementia consistently features in the top three causes of age-related deaths right across our region, and with our rapidly increasing population of people over 65, it ranks as a top priority in our efforts to address chronic disease.
Helpful resources on dementia
Our recent Healthy Ageing Clinical Society series included a dedicated session on dementia with insights from top experts who covered HNC’s HealthPathways for clinicians supporting patients living with dementia, the relationship between a healthy lifestyle and reduced dementia risk and discussions around the needs of carers.
Watch the webinar on catch up.
Greg Parker from Advance Care Planning Australia also gave a highly engaging reminder of the importance of advance care planning for those on the dementia journey – and how impactful the support of clinicians can be.
A very moving interview with a woman living with early onset dementia aired on The Project last week. Her insights on advance care planning for the benefit of her family are must-watch.
It is no surprise that in anticipation of a packed calendar of dementia-related community events across the region, Healthy North Coast’s lines have been running hot for orders of our Living with dementia on the North Coast booklet – a consumer guide that is highly popular with clinicians and a go-to resource for patients and families. You can also request a hardcopy by emailing us through our ‘general enquiries’ form.
Dementia Australia are also promoting dementia-related Communities of Practice for clinicians – a monthly series with other professionals and experts. Register now!
Join our ‘Healthy Ageing’ Program
Finally, in an initiative to build capacity within general practice to provide additional support to those embarking on the dementia journey, don’t forget to consider an Expression of Interest to join our Nurse Capacity Building pilot, one element of which is providing nurse-led support to those patients on the dementia journey.
Applications close 30 September 2024.
