The Alzheimer’s Australia Victoria plan will seek to make the town more inclusive of people with dementia by following a simple mantra: “Changing our minds about people whose minds are changing”.

And that will be done through a range of ways, be it making businesses, community groups and sporting clubs more aware of the illness; making public facilities more accessible for sufferers; or helping people with dementia keep control over their own lives.

Beechworth has been chosen for good reason — there are at least 240 people with dementia living in Indigo Shire.

Judging by national figures, that number is only likely to increase further: there are almost 350,000 in Australia to have been diag- nosed, and that’s expect- ed to reach 400,000 in the next decade.

“It’s the second leading cause of death in Australia and is clearly going to have a significant impact in the fut- ure,” Alzheimer’s Australia Victoria project manager Kaele Stokes said.

“This project is about providing people with the opportunity to keep participating actively in the community, and tell us what they need.”

Beechworth Health Services, as part of the Indigo Health Consortium, has started by creating a dementia action alliance.

The alliance includes community members diagnosed with dementia, family, carers and interested parties like Indigo Council and the police.

BHS project worker Anna Mackinlay said they would develop an action plan on how to make the town more “friendly” for sufferers.

“The essence of the project is getting people to understand more about it and how to respond to people with it,” she said.

AAV has provided $50,000 in funding for the 12-month project, while the Municipal Association of Victoria has provided $25,000.