COVER STORY
Bedtime to breakfast and beyond: sleep program boosts daytime engagement
What started as a program to improve the sleep of people with dementia at one Life Care site has led to a fundamental shift in how the South Australian aged care provider implements and embeds person-centred care for all residents with dementia, not just at night but 24 hours a day. Deborah Muldoon explains
ALSO IN THIS ISSUE
Investigating the phenomenon of time-shifting
Anecdotal evidence suggests that time-shifting is a fairly common phenomenon in people with dementia, but no previous studies have analysed it in terms of occurrence and frequency. Laura Gibbons, Gayl Keddie and Ian A James introduce the concept, in which memories from the past are perceived as relevant in the present, and discuss what care home staff say about its nature and frequency
PALZ: supporting professionals with Alzheimer’s
Offering a corporate-style social forum for people in the early stages of Alzheimer’s disease, PALZ is preparing to expand across Australia and internationally. Cathy Roth reports
Join the ACcORD collaboration
Rob Sanson-Fisher and colleagues from the ACcORD program are inviting Australian health care providers and consumers to join the collaboration to improve well-being and health outcomes for people with dementia and their carers
Dementia and sight loss: a challenging combination
Sight loss affects tens of thousands of people with dementia, but with the right understanding, education and awareness, they can be supported to live well. Paul Ursell and Gemma Jolly show how one influential committee is making a difference
The View From Here
Fred Graham, Sandra Jeavons, Liz Miles and Elizabeth Beattie introduce The View From Here, an evidence-based online training package suitable for all Australian hospitals to use in preparing their staff to provide quality care for patients with dementia
A tale from a dementia champion
Tim England shares his experiences of creating a grassroots education campaign to transform community attitudes towards dementia
‘It ain’t what you do, it’s the way that you do it’
Pre-assessment counselling is helping to minimise anxiety surrounding the diagnostic process. Anna Buckell and colleagues discuss findings from their early intervention service
Human rights, disability and dementia
Dementia Alliance International Chair Kate Swaffer explains the significant effort that will be required to implement the WHO’s Global Dementia Action Plan and why human rights and the recognition of dementia as a disability must be reflected in all regional and national dementia strategies and plans
Overnight respite: home-grown and developed together
David Panter introduces ECH’s new purpose-built overnight respite centre in Adelaide, developed in consultation with carers and people with dementia
Plus the latest dementia research news, resources and events!