Narrabri locals were given the chance to see through the eyes of a person living with dementia on Tuesday, May 27, when the Narrabri Dementia Friendly Town Committee, Dementia Australia and the Narrabri Shire Council teamed up to host a free training session at Narrabri RSL Club.
Business owners and operators were fascinated to learn more about dementia and how to build a more inclusive and supportive community in the one-hour session delivered by Christine Dunbar, a facilitator for the Centre for Dementia Learning with Dementia Australia.
“This time we really wanted to do something for business owners and operators. Making small changes and training your staff can make all the difference,” dementia advocate and one of the founding members of the Narrabri Dementia Friendly Community Committee Joan Griffiths said. The committee is working to bring training and awareness to people in Narrabri.
Participants were also able to experience life from a different perspective with the help of EDIE, a virtual reality simulation that allows users to see the world through the eyes of a person living with dementia.
“To say that it was an eye-opener would be underrated. Experiencing the VR demo really hit home for us both and we are motivated to make several quick, easy changes to our home to make life easier,” one attendee said.
Representatives from the post office, council, Nandebri, Avodah Podiatry, HealthWISE, Axxis and the wider community took part. The free event was made possible with funding from HealthWISE and a community financial assistance grant from the Narrabri Shire Council. The grant was given to help the committee create a friendly and supportive town for people living with dementia.
Affecting around 433,000 Australians, dementia is the leading cause of death for women, and the second leading cause of death overall. Christine emphasised that dementia is a brain condition and is not a normal part of ageing. Many different conditions can cause dementia, and it looks and feels different for each person.
“People living with dementia spend most of their disease living and working in their communities. It is often only when their illness is well-advanced that they require residential care,” HealthWISE executive manager of services Anne Williams explained.
“We need to ensure people feel safe and supported.”
Dementia Friendly Communities are places where people living with dementia, their families, community members and businesses come together to create respectful, supportive and empowering environments. This approach helps to reduce the risk of social isolation of people living with dementia and support them to remain engaged and empowered.
“Staying socially connected, active and valued are important factors in reducing your risk,” Joan said.
A Dementia Friend is someone who wants to understand dementia better so that they can support people living with the condition. Anyone can become a Dementia Friend by visiting the Dementia Australia website to register their interest.
