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Grants available to support ageing rural Australians; TLC and Alzheimer’s Australia Vic sign sponsorship agreement; ‘Hotspots’ for stroke identified.

 

In this story:

  • Grants available to support ageing rural Australians
  • TLC and Alzheimer’s Australia Vic sign sponsorship agreement
  • Report identifies stroke ‘hotspots’
Grants available to support ageing rural Australians

The annual Caring for Ageing Rural Australians (CARA) grants are now open, with more than $295,000 available to support older people living in small rural, regional and remote communities.

The CARA program will provide assistance to community-based, not-for-profit groups for initiatives that encourage and support older people living in communities of fewer than 10,000 people.

The grants will be available to community groups in Western Australia, Victoria, New South Wales and Queensland.

Alexandra Gartmann CEO of the Foundation for Rural and Regional Renewal (FRRR) said in recognition of the diverse needs of rural communities, the grant program would cater for all aspects of ageing, including support for health and wellness activities, intergenerational programs and projects in aged care facilities and respite centres.

Grants can range up to $10,000. Guidelines and application forms are available from www.frrr.org.au. Applications close 15 August.

TLC and Alzheimer’s Australia Vic sign sponsorship agreement

TLC Aged Care has become a major sponsor of Alzheimer’s Australia Vic, with an agreement to provide $120,000 in funding over the next two years.

In addition to the sponsorship agreement, Alzheimer’s Australia Vic will continue to advise TLC on dementia-friendly design and best practice care in their existing and future homes, and provide specialist dementia care training for TLC’s staff.

TLC Aged Care’s chief executive officer Lou Pascuzzi said the sponsorship was the largest by any aged care provider to the charity and peak body for people living with dementia in Victoria.

“The work that Alzheimer’s Australia Vic is doing is significantly improving the quality of life of many of our valued residents, as well as their families and friends,” he said.

Maree McCabe, CEO of Alzheimer’s Australia Vic, congratulated TLC on their funding commitment which she said would help fund specialist dementia programs and training.

TLC provides specialised dementia care at nine of its 10 homes.

Report identifies stroke ‘hotspots’

A new report released by the National Stroke Foundation has identified the current and future ‘hotspots’ for stroke.

Tasmania and South Australia are the states with the highest stroke burden per head of population, while NSW has five of the top 10 stroke survivor hot spots and six of the top 10 for number of strokes. Vast tracts of regional Victoria are also represented in the top quarter of Australian electorates for stroke burden.

“By ranking electorates we can understand where the impact is greatest,” said National Stroke Foundation CEO Dr Erin Lalor.

Assistant Minister for Health Fiona Nash said the government would use the report to help inform Australia’s response to the disease.

“By identifying where there are high numbers of people living with risk factors such as high blood pressure and obesity, governments and service providers will be better able to support at-risk individuals with the aim of reducing instances of stroke in the community,” she said.

The National Stroke Foundation commissioned Deloitte Access Economics to produce the report which contains federal electorate breakdowns of information on the number of strokes, the scale of death from stroke, the number of people living with the effect of stroke and the number of people who live at risk of stroke.

Stroke in Australia: No postcode untouched was launched at Parliament House in Canberra this week.

Tags: alzheimers-australia-vic, grants, stroke, tlc-aged-care,

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