During Dementia Awareness Month, which runs throughout September, Alzheimer’s Australia NSW is calling for the community to help create a dementia-friendly nation, where people living with dementia are respected, valued and supported to maintain a good quality of life.
It starts with each of us and by making small changes we can make a big difference.
In the Ballina electorate there are an estimated 1,430 people living with dementia. That figure is projected to increase to about 3,100 by 2050.
Too often people with dementia experience social isolation, partly because people are unaware of the symptoms and unsure how to respond to the changes in a person that they have always known.
The onus is on all of us to become dementia-aware. Find out more about dementia, increase your understanding of the condition and its impacts and help spread the word. I encourage your readers to find out more by going to www.dementiafriendly.org.au.
Alzheimer’s Australia NSW also has a range of events and activities planned throughout the State as part of Dementia Awareness Month. To get involved, visit nsw.fightdementia.org.au.
John Watkins (CEO Alzheimer’s Australia), Professor Henry Brodaty (University of New South Wales)
