The Narrabri dementia friendly town committee was pleased this week to bring the WISER training group to Narrabri to inform and support carers of people living with dementia.
“We were lucky to secure a small grant from the Hunter New England Central Coast PHN,” integrated care manager with HealthWISE and member of the committee Anne Williams said.
“‘COVID-19 has interrupted our planned activities over the past three years and the grant has enabled us to get back out into the community.
“Education about dementia is the best way to reduce the stigma and loneliness associated with the disease.”
The small committee meets monthly to work on initiatives in Narrabri that promote the inclusion of people living with dementia.
“With dementia taking over as the leading cause of health issues for Australians aged 65 and over it is more important than ever to create inclusive, enabling and supportive communities to reduce the health and social impacts of dementia,” Anner said.
“Supporting carers by bringing this quality training to Narrabri will go a long way to building the capacity to cope within the families living with disease every day.”
The WISER (wellness, innovation, support, enablement) approach uses the principles of Montessori to enable the person with dementia to remain independent for as long as possible.
Sensory, social, cognitive and practical activities form part of the program.
Results show that as well as maintaining skills, the mood and well-being of the person improves.
“The event was well attended and well received by participants.
“There were many comments that attendees have all learnt something and have lots of take-home ideas and strategies to try in their caring roles,” community health memory cognition nurse Kylie Finlay said.
To order photos from this page click here
