DEMENTIA ACTION WEEK
Dementia Action Week, 15-21 September. Nobody can do it alone.
Dementia is a broad umbrella term for multiple progressive neurodegenerative conditions affecting the brain, including Alzheimer’s disease, vascular dementia, and frontotemporal dementia. Dementia generally affects memory, thinking, behaviour, mood, and personality and is more common in people over 65 years of age, although it is not a normal part of ageing. There is no cure for dementia, with current therapeutics focusing on symptom management. An estimated 433,300 Australians are living with dementia, with more than 16,000 living in the Northern Sydney region. Dementia can be socially isolating for the individual, as well as their families and/or carers due to societal stigma and misconceptions about the condition.
To reduce this stigma, Ward 4C (general medical ward and dementia/delirium unit) ran a promotion desk throughout Dementia Action Week, talking to staff, patients and visitors about dementia, dementia risk reduction, dementia education opportunities and services available to support those living with dementia or those caring for someone living with dementia. Additionally, Ward 4C hosted education sessions throughout the week, with 140 multidisciplinary staff from across the hospital receiving education on topics including changed behaviours in dementia, different types of dementia, and what Ward 4C does differently in its care of those living with dementia.
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