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Dementia Essentials for Aged Care Workers

Statistics from the Victorian branch of Alzheimer’s Australia indicate that Victoria is facing a dementia epidemic.

An information sheet released by the organisation includes projections which suggest that there could be as many as 9392 Gippsland residents with dementia in 2050 - a three-fold increase on the 2931 cases recorded in 2005.

In partnership with Alzheimer’s Australia (Victoria), local training provider GippsTAFE has secured funding from the Federal Government to help Gippsland’s aged care facilities respond to the growing demands for dementia care.

According to GippsTAFE Aged Care facilitator, Narelle Naismith, who is leading the three-year GippsTAFE project alongside colleague Libby Reeves, the Institute will provide assistance through a new accredited training program called Dementia Essentials.

The Dementia Essentials program is designed to up skill current Aged Care workers in skills for supporting people living with dementia.

The free Gippsland-wide program has already provided training for the Warragul and Pakenham districts, as well as Maffra, Sale and Heyfield. Later this year, the three-day accredited module training will be presented in the South Gippsland area.

Narelle said that a better understanding of the individual’s experience is paramount in improving the quality of care given to people living with dementia and their family. This is particularly relevant in the case of Alzheimer’s, which accounts for between 50 and 70 per cent of all dementia cases.

The Dementia Essentials program advocates a person-centred approach, which focuses on understanding and acknowledging the person’s past history.

“We talk about the disease being separate from the person and encourage the carer to see the person as a unique individual with strengths,’’ Narelle said.