COVER STORY
Henthusiasts! Bringing HenPower to Australia
Karn Nelson, from aged care provider The Whiddon Group, reports on the first Australian trial of HenPower, an evidence-based and easy-to-run program that uses hen-keeping and creative activities to combat social isolation among older people, especially those with dementia, in residential care.
ALSO IN THIS ISSUE
Building staff capacity to provide responsive care
Elizabeth Beattie introduces Dementia Training Australia’s new Responsive Behaviours Consultancy – a staff training program to help residential aged care organisations address and reduce dementia-related responsive behaviours.
A response framework with untruths as a last resort
Sometimes the truth causes distress, but is it ever right to lie to a person with dementia? Edward O’Connor, Ian James and Roberta Caiazza describe a practical framework which allows for ‘therapeutic lies’ as a last resort
Creating Agents of Change
Kate Laver and Monica Cations describe an initiative to improve dementia care practice with a network of Quality Collaboratives of health and aged care professionals across Australia
Supporting culturally competent care
Mary Gurgone and Anne Butorac discuss a project to improve cultural cohesion within the residential aged care workforce
A home away from home
Jason Burton and Marlene Grogan describe how Alzheimer’s WA has transformed its day respite services with the Enabling Households model that delivers better outcomes for clients with dementia and carers
Helping carers rethink respite
Lyn Phillipson reports on the results of a project to promote the benefits of respite to carers and improve uptake of respite services
Empowering consumers
Tiffany Jessop reports on an upcoming national campaign to promote informed, legal and ethical prescribing of psychotropic medication for people with dementia
Australian Dementia Forum highlights
The recent Australian Dementia Forum 2017: Progress on the Boosting Dementia Research Initiative (ADF2017) was an opportunity to share knowledge and information about the latest dementia research. Jo Haslam reports
A poet’s stories
It is 20 years since John Killick published his first book of poems inspired by conversations with people with dementia. Recently, he has been looking back on these formative experiences and he shares some of the poems which have resulted
Improving children’s attitudes to dementia
Jess Baker presents a summary of results from a pilot study of the Kids4Dementia program, which teaches primary school children about dementia
Plus the latest dementia research news, resources and events!
