Read about real voices of people living with dementia and their experiences with discrimination.
In this video, presenter Stephen Claney explores Dementia Australia’s Virtual Forest, Virtual Dementia Experience, EDIE and Dementia-Friendly Home App with Dementia Australia CEO Maree McCabe speaking about the benefits of the technology.
This video is part of the #EveryThreeSeconds program, an international awareness raising campaign led by the global peak body, Alzheimer’s Disease International and made in partnership with Dementia Australia and ITN Productions.
Dementia Australia acknowledges all the carers and people living with dementia who made their own videos and sent them to us to share their wishes for the festive season - and joined in our call for donations for our annual Christmas fundraising appeal.
Have a safe and happy holiday everyone. Thank you for your support.
Early for Early Campaign: Raising Awareness of Early Onset Dementia
The #earlyforearly campaign was started by Dementia Australia Tasmania to put a spotlight on early onset dementia.
Roughly 25,000 people are living with early (or younger) onset dementia in Australia. Some as young as in their 30s.
Early onset dementia does not just affect memory but also people's ability to perform everyday tasks (such as planning a meal) and their social, emotional and financial well-being. The Younger Onset Dementia Key Worker Program in Tasmania began this campaign to increase community awareness and knowledge of early onset dementia. The program also aims to address key issues with funds raised from the campaign, such as appropriate accommodation for younger people and social support for people living with the illness.
The idea:
1. Wake up early, before 7am (try and catch the sunrise!)
2. Take a picture/selfie in a great location, anywhere in the world
3. Post it on Instagram/Facebook with the hashtag #earlyforearly and tag @alzheimersaustraliatas
4. Nominate two other people to do the same thing!
Thank you for your support!
Training the brain for functional gain
Professor Jacqui Close
Tweed Heads, NSW
The National Press Club address for World Alzheimer's Day, 21 September 2016, was given by Dr Ron Petersen and Ita Buttrose AO OBE.
More information about the event, Dr Ron Petersen, and Ita Buttrose is available here.
Published here by permission of the National Press Club.
As we prepare for the federal election on Saturday we asked people living with dementia, their carers, families and friends what they would want the future Prime Minister to know.
Here's some of what they had to say.
The Buddy Program is a volunteer service for people living with Younger Onset Dementia (YOD).
The program involves a Buddy accompanying a person with YOD to attend activities in the community and to become a volunteer (if they wish) of their own choosing (e.g., helping at a café, community garden or animal shelter).
People living with YOD often find it difficult to perform tasks and participate in activities which they once enjoyed, without some support. As a result, they may become socially isolated, physically restless, lack motivation and feel depressed. The Buddy Program aims to address these issues by matching people living with YOD with volunteers who share the same interests, hobbies, culture and skills and by providing meaningful activity and purpose to people’s lives.
Volunteers offer people living with YOD a chance to develop a supportive friendship with a volunteer in a role which is informal and flexible. In so doing, it is the aim of the Buddy Program to increase the Quality of Life of people living with younger onset dementia.”