Chiltern Neighbourhood House to host dementia awareness sessions

Penny Bingham, of Rutherglen, will lead sessions at Chiltern Neighbourhood House on Tuesday and Thursday, July 25 and 27, aimed at police officers, paramedics and members of the State Emergency Service and Country Fire Authority.

Mrs Bingham said she had considered some form of community education even before Cooma's Clare Nowland was tasered in her aged care home in May.

Mrs Nowland, who was diagnosed with dementia, later died of injuries sustained in the incident.

A police officer is now facing charges.

Mrs Bingham has studied dementia care, worked with Dementia Australia and been a carer herself.

"Everybody says someone ought to do something and I thought, OK, it's time to bite the bullet and try to do something," she said.

"In Australia, dementia is the second leading cause of death and it's poised to overtake heart disease as the leading cause.

"There is a new dementia diagnosis every six minutes.

"We're all going to encounter it in an ageing society, be it a family member, a friend, a relative, a work colleague, a neighbour, we're going to encounter it and we need to know how to deal with it."

The Chiltern sessions will offer basic information on dementia statistics, how to recognise symptoms, and how to respond and communicate with people with dementia.

"Be aware of being gentle in your approach," Mrs Bingham said.

"Stay calm, be relaxed, give them eye contact."

She is also working on modules for a broader community awareness program.

"With this incident (in Cooma), I just thought we need to spread the message more widely, we need to reach more people," she said.

"And I hope they'll just go away and continue the conversation."

Mrs Bingham and Chiltern Neighbourhood House co-ordinator Maree Murphy run a fortnightly memory cafe for people with dementia and their carers.

Mrs Murphy said the group was open to everyone and offered an informal chat and morning tea.

"People can ask questions, share experiences, it's just a nice, comfortable, friendly atmosphere, without sort of being clinical," she said.

Holding sessions for emergency service personnel complements existing activities that involve people living with dementia.

"It's something around us all the time, so it's a really important thing, people need to be made aware," Mrs Murphy said.

Anyone wishing to attend the memory cafe, or learn more, can contact Chiltern Neighbourhood House on (03) 5726 1405.

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