WARRNAMBOOL council candidate Barb Witham wants the city to become a dementia-friendly community.
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If elected in October, Ms Witham will push for the city council to adopt the model for a dementia- friendly environment recommended by the Alzheimer’s Australia.
Ms Witham, who works in aged care, said that dementia was one of the most debilitating illnesses confronting the community.
“Dementia affects a person’s memory, judgement and reasoning and can cause personality changes while gradually eroding a person’s ability to perform their normal daily activities,” she said.
About 70 per cent of people with dementia in Victoria are living in the community, not in residential aged care homes, and Ms Witham said there were increasing numbers of homeless people living with dementia.
Alzheimer’s Australia has developed a toolkit for councils that want to make their community more dementia friendly. In Victoria a number of communities, including Beechworth and Maldon, have or are adopting the dementia-friendly community approach.
The toolkit for local government provides information, resources and guidance for building on existing infrastructure, systems and services in order to make communities more inclusive.
“I want Warrnambool to be a place where people living with dementia are supported to live a life with meaning and value,” Ms Witham said.
Raising community awareness, providing education and support to local businesses, organisations and council staff are all key components of a dementia-friendly community. Improving physical environments, such as the local library, with better signage and lighting is part of the model.
“A community that adopts the dementia-friendly model is being inclusive and friendly for everyone,” she said.
“I would like to see Warrnambool Council support and adopt the Dementia-Friendly Community model and would welcome the opportunity to be part of this initiative if elected to council on October 22,” she said.