Building a dementia-friendly town

THE Heathcote Dementia Alliance is continuing it’s push to be a leader in dementia care, recently launching a technology collaboration and continuing to find innovations and solutions for those affected by the second leading cause of death for Australians.

In early March, HDA launched its new Futures Hub, a program bringing together CaptureLive AI and universities including Melbourne, Swinburne and La Trobe to develop technologies to assist people with dementia and their carers.

Deputy president of HDA Eugene Meegan said the technology will be used in new “care cabins”, portable dwellings which provide “the ideal environment for someone living with dementia.”

“They compensate for the deficits and also help carers to support somebody living with dementia,” he said.

“They allow people to live in their own space for as long as possible, outside of any institutional environment and to live in their own community connected with their own family for as long as possible.”

Innovations such as contrasting floors and walls and tables and crockery as well as easy to use appliances and transparent cupboards are designed to make it easier for people with dementia to live independently and not rely on memory.

Technology developed out of the Futures Hub includes sensors to notify carers if a patient has left their bed, has fallen, or if their behaviour has suddenly changed.

Mr Meegan said a prototype care cabin is currently being built and will be displayed at the Heathcote Hospital.

“We can get feedback about what features are desirable or not,” he said. “From the prototype we would then go on to build a number of cabins using locally sourced materials and local labour.”

HDA’s vision is to have up to eight cabins in two clusters, one at Heathcote and one at Mearbin, north of Mildura.

Mr Meegan said while they have enough money for the prototype, an entire cluster would rely on several million dollars in external funding.

The care cabins project is separate to the 150-bed Heathcote Dementia Village, which was started by Heathcote Health and now headed by Advance Heathcote.

“The alliance took up the community engagement and support aspects of the dementia village,” Mr Meegan said.

“We work with the community to improve Heathcote’s dementia friendliness and to improve resources available to people with dementia.”

The village, named Gilbruk Place after the Taungurung word for respect, will be located at the rear of the Heathcote Hospital and is being designed to keep dementia patients integrated with the community.

Mr Meegan said a path similar to the dementia friendly forest and sensory trail within Woowookarung Regional Park in Ballarat will be installed to connect the village to the town.

Community fundraising event The O’Keefe Challenge will raise crucial funds for HDA on Friday, 29 April and Saturday, 1 May.

A screening of film Ruby’s Choice will also raise money for the alliance, at Star Cinema on Thursday, 7 April. Tickets are available at starcinema.org.au.