Resource to help spot dementia in the community

Alzheimer’s Australia SA has produced and launched a suite of industry specific short films to help all Australians recgonise the signs of dementia in people they may meet during an ordinary day at work.

 

By Natasha Egan

A suite of short films aimed at helping Australians recognise the signs of dementia in people they may come across in their working lives has been produced and launched by Alzheimer’s Australia SA.

Funded by the Department of Health and Ageing and created by Short Focus Films, Is it Dementia is an educational resource comprising 12 short films targeted at and produced in conjunction with different industry groups including, fire and emergency services, correctional services, and the retail, banking and transport sectors.

The films will change the way industry and business will forever see and interact with people with dementia, said Kathryn Cunningham, CEO, Alzheimer’s Australia SA.

“As the population ages, you are more and more likely to come into contact with someone with dementia and this resource will be invaluable to your business”, Ms Cunningham said.

The resource includes an introduction and conclusion video for each industry category presented by Dr Andrew Rochford.

A key message delivered by Dr Andrew Rochford is that while dementia isn’t always obvious, it’s possible to change the outcomes for people living with dementia through using this resource.

Scenarios portrayed in the films include a confused bus passenger who doesn’t know his stop; a train passenger without a ticket; an emergency house evacuation due to flooding; a queue-jumping supermarket customer; a confused man at the scene of a road accident; strategies to help banking customers living with dementia; and a forgetful prison inmate.

Is it Dementia was launched by Minister for Ageing Mark Butler on Friday May 10 at the Mercury Cinema in Adelaide and was followed by a screening of the 12 films.

Minister Butler said: “These films are an important way of raising awareness and humanising the important issue of dementia for our community.”

The films plus accompanying materials including fact sheets and video transcripts are available online at Is it Dementia.

For more information about dementia, visit Alzheimer’s Australia or call the National Dementia Helpline on1800 100 500.

 

 

Tags: alzheimer-australia, alzheimer-australia-sa, is-it-dementia, kathryn-cunningham,

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