Helping families living with dementia
Alzheimer’s Australia Victoria has pledged its commitment to building services to better support families living with dementia. The announcement came as Australia celebrates National Families Week.
Alzheimer’s Australia Victoria has pledged its commitment to building services to better support families living with dementia.
The announcement came as Australia celebrates National Families Week.
National Families Week encourages people across the country to celebrate the vital role that families play. The theme of the week was “Families Working Together – Getting the Balance Right”, which is particularly pertinent when it comes to the role of the family in caring for a person living with dementia.
“Our aim is to become even more welcoming of and responsive to family members of all ages, from young children all the way through to grandparents and other extended family members and friends,” said Maree McCabe, Alzheimer’s Australia Victoria chief executive.
Ms McCabe said the organisation was in the process of evaluating its services, both from a staff and consumer perspective, to find out what more could be done to support families.
“In particular, we are reviewing how we currently support children, with a view to developing a broader range of printed and online resources for young people, as well providing specific direct services for these age groups,” she said.
“In 2013 families come in all different shapes and sizes,” said Ms McCabe. Whatever the word ‘family’ means to you, National Families Week provides an opportunity to celebrate.
“In dementia care the role of the family is critical, and it is often family members who take on the role of principle carer. This means that families are faced with meeting the particular challenges that dementia brings whilst at the same time continuing to meet their other daily responsibilities and demands.
“Working together to find the right balance is not always easy. National Families Week provides an opportunity for us to take stock, recognise and celebrate the great achievements of families across the nation,” she added.
National Families Week 2013 ends today, but Australians are encouraged to continue to think about the ways in which families can work together to get the best balance in all kinds of activities associated with family life.
