Staff from Healthy North Coast were active in their support of this year’s Dementia Awareness Week events across the North Coast region.
Dementia Awareness week is a major leadership, awareness and advocacy campaign led by Dementia Australia. This year’s theme was Act Now for a Dementia-Friendly Future.
The Australian Government, Australian Institute of Health and Welfare (2023) outlines that there are an estimated 401,300 Australians living with dementia, including an estimated 27,800 people with younger onset dementia (below the age of 65). The number of those living with dementia is predicted to reach more than 849,300 by 2058.
Dementia is the second leading cause of death for Australians and the leading cause of death for women. Dementia is the leading cause of disease burden for those over 65 years.
The awareness events for the week 18-24 September, included the Greater Port Macquarie Dementia Friendly Alliance forums across the Hastings/Macleay, focusing on how everyone in the community can be more dementia friendly.
The Dementia Inclusive Ballina Alliance held a 2-day symposium focusing on lessons learnt from the recent natural disasters. Healthy North Coast staff presented on the development and evaluation of the Living with dementia on the North Coast information booklet to those living with dementia and their families as well as health professionals and interested community members.
With 2 out of every 3 people living with dementia living at home, primary care plays a vital role in the diagnosis, treatment and support of people and their families.
Early detection of Dementia ensures:
- early diagnosis, including type of dementia,
- earlier treatment modalities that manage the type of dementia can be prescribed
- provision of strategies to manage changes and for future planning.
- families and the person living with dementia have time to work through the stages to acceptance of a life-limiting disease and start to plan for end of life. The Living with Dementia on the North Coast resource booklet assists families and health practitioners through this journey
Support for General Practice is provided through the dementia PCI and the Dementia and Cognitive Impairment HealthPathway
Resources:
ELDAC Dementia Toolkit
The ELDAC Dementia Toolkit offers evidence-based resources about palliative care and advance care planning that can assist you and your organisation in supporting the end of life needs of people with dementia and their families.
Click here to view the Dementia Toolkit Factsheet
For more info, visit the Dementia and Cognitive Impairment HealthPathway:
