“Good is not enough” say dementia enthusiasts
An excellent goal for this Dementia Month (8 September to 8 October) is to eschew the negative images and concentrate on what the community needs to hear i.e. more positive images featuring some of the many things people living with dementia can do when the people caring for them know what to do.
Beverley Giles acts as a specialist adviser to PresCare. At other times she is a freelance dementia care consultant and educator, a Queenslander recognised nationally as a specialist in her field.
In practical terms she wants to promote good care for people with dementia by disseminating what has been proven, in practice, to work.
To that end, Ms Giles has established and PresCare has supported, a network of people, known as the Enthusiasts.
Drawn from every level of occupation e.g. managers, activity officers, personal carers, educators, support staff; Enthusiasts change the lives of people with dementia because they have never heard of the word can’t.
If anything has been shown to work i.e. it has made living with dementia easier/better for a person, an Enthusiast will adopt that practice, try that approach, use that activity.
The Enthusiasts’ motto is ‘When better is possible, good is not enough’.
For details of an upcoming Enthusiasts’ meeting, call Lee McGregor, marketing officer, PresCare on (07) 3223 4404.
