THIS had to be about more than sourcing technology and internet access for people living with dementia.
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If this was to truly be about connection, particularly during a period of widespread isolation, dementia champion Anne Tudor said there needed to be added support structures.
Her idea, pitched to Buninyong MP Michaela Settle, has gathered momentum in a collaborative community effort that could help better connect people living with dementia and carers well beyond Ballarat and the pandemic.
Digital Inclusion Social Connection Project, also known as DI-SC Project, will draw on a wide volunteer network from Ballarat's Bigger Heart Dementia Alliance and the expertise in health and community services to ensure best reach and need.
A lot of us have been getting involved in Zoom but it seemed discriminatory...We wanted to get to people who are hard to reach and we needed people involved from the frontlines.
- Anne Tudor, Bigger Hearts Dementia Alliance
"People with dementia and their carers were becoming more isolated in lockdown: face-to-face programs had stopped, paid carers had stopped, so you've got carers with no respite knowing the effects of loneliness and psychological well-being this would have," Ms Tudor said.
"A lot of us have been getting involved in Zoom but it seemed discriminatory...We wanted to get to people who are hard to reach and we needed people involved from the frontlines."
Ms Settle and Wendouree MP Juliana Addison announced a $20,000 boost for the project on behalf of Victorian Ageing Minister Luke Donnellan on Tuesday. This project launch coincides with Dementia Action Week.
The grant will purchase devices and internet access for people living with dementia and their carers. The Alliance's network will help train volunteers and shape program ideas with frontline help like content from Ballarat Health Services and technical training from Ballarat Neighbourhood Centre.
The Neighbourhood Centre will help to train Alliance technology mentors up and, with a background experience in dementia, this could naturally become a friend and mentor to introduce families impacted by dementia to other community support services.
Ballarat Innovation and Research Collaboration for Health will lead the project's evaluation and research.
BIRCH Associate Professor Mark Yates said Ballarat had a great supportive culture but, importantly, these close ties and ongoing support would also allow for follow-up impacts on the people they were trying to help most.
"If we're going to change culture, we're going to need feedback once we've got everyone evaluated," Associate Professor Yates said.
"...In the long term, after COVID, if we could develop a platform with meaningful activities this could make a big difference. There are many ways to be isolated - you could be geographically isolated, socially isolated, emotionally isolated.
"This could help mean no need for travelling in by public transport everyday for some. Or, you could be living in Warracknabeal, for example, and find a way to start a group with people of similar interests."
About 70 per cent of people with dementia remain living in the community.
Minister Donnellan said everyone had a role to play in supporting those around us. He said connecting with loved ones was vital to well-being and this was why the government supported such an innovative project.
Ms Settle said Dementia Action Week was a time to reflect how we could, as a community, help people living with dementia and their carers stay connected and fully participate better.
"Keeping connected has become more challenging," Ms Settle said. "There are many ways to stay socially connected online and helping communities jump into the digital world can make a big impact on their lives."
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