Connecting over a cuppa
Dementia sufferers in Riverwood, NSW, and surrounding areas will have an opportunity to network and engage in the community through a new Dementia Café funded by the federal government. Minister for Mental Health and Ageing, Mark Butler last Wednesday to visited the site.
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Dementia sufferers in Riverwood, NSW, and surrounding areas will have an opportunity to network and engage in the community through a new Dementia Café funded by the federal government.
Minister for Mental Health and Ageing, Mark Butler, joined local Federal MP Daryl Melham at Riverwood Community Centre last Wednesday to visit the site of the new Dementia Café.
About 269,000 Australians are living with dementia, with the figure projected to rise to almost one million by 2050.
“We need innovative solutions to support people with dementia to remain active and engaged in their community,” Mr Butler said.
Member for Banks, Daryl Melham, said the Riverwood Community Centre had been rewarded for its innovation.
“We have some of the most innovative and committed NGOs (non-governmnent organisations) in NSW here in the electorate of Banks and I’m proud of all the staff at Riverwood Community Centre.
“Often that feeling of being alone can be overwhelming for people with dementia and their carers so anything we can do to help people feel more connected is a good thing,” Mr Melham said.
“With the new Dementia Café in Riverwood, people with dementia, their families and carers will have somewhere to simply have a coffee and connect with people experiencing similar issues.”
Mr Butler claimed the federal government was ramping up its effort to support people with dementia, their families and carers.
The federal government’s new aged care reform package Living Longer Living Better provides $3.7 billion of funding for aged care, and includes $268.4 million to tackle the nation’s dementia epidemic.
