Australia is in need of specialist dementia facilities

SPONSORED- VMCH has one of only 12 specialist dementia care units in Australia, a number that needs to keep growing.

If you are close to someone living with dementia you understand the importance of time. The time spent creating precious memories before diagnosis and the time after before the disease progresses.  

So ensuring the person living with dementia lives their best life possible, with dignity and respect, is paramount in having a positive impact on time spent in care.  

Industry stakeholders have discussed the use of specialist dementia facilities to accommodate clients with more complex care needs.

Jenny Tadic’s 75-year-old mum, Mary, used to be a part of that statistic before she spent time at VMCH’s award-winning specialist dementia unit, Lady Lourdes House.

Lady Lourdes House has not only improved her well-being but slowed the progression of her disease. 

Staff at Mary’s previous aged care home were unable to deal with her escalating and sometimes aggressive behaviour and was forcibly removed from the home by police and lived at Sunshine Hospital for three months. 

“Then we found Lady Lourdes and within six weeks of moving in, we could see a huge difference in Mum,” Jenny explained. 

“She was calmer, and the staff treated her with dignity and respect. If people we able to get into places like this at an earlier stage, I honestly think they could delay the (dementia) progression… I don’t understand why there’s not more units like this.”

Lady Lourdes House is part of VMCH’s St Bernadette’s Aged Care Residence in Sunshine North, funded by the Australian Government’s Specialist Dementia Care Program (SDCP) and is purpose-designed for its eight residents who experience very severe symptoms of dementia.

The facility offers up to 12 months of intensive, supportive care to help clients manage their symptoms so they can transition into mainstream aged care or alternate suitable accommodation on discharge. 

Mary’s family are so comfortable with her state since being at Lady Lourdes House that Jenny and her sister were both recently able to enjoy family holidays for the first time in years.  

VMCH Dementia Services Specialist, Elizabeth Baxter, said Lady Lourdes House staff are specially trained in an environment geared towards positive outcomes, designed under Dementia Enabling Environmental Principles. 

“Our multidisciplinary approach to care reflects the future of dementia support; an end to an outdated ‘one-size-fits-all’ approach,” she said. 

“We provide intensive clinical support and review, in association with North West Mental Health Service, aimed to stabilise symptoms causing distress or challenges for the person or their family.” 

“To me, best practice is actively engaging and listening to the person with dementia, as well as their family caregivers and support network to establish what their goals are for care.”

Mary recently became the fourth Lady Lourdes House resident to transition to a mainstream setting since it opened in November 2020. 

In 2019, the Federal Government sought to establish the Specialist Dementia Care Program (SDCP) which funds specialist dementia care units in residential aged care homes. 

The cottage-like units, such as those at Lady Lourdes House, provide specialised care to people with very severe behavioural and psychological symptoms of dementia and aim to reduce or stabilise symptoms so that people can transition into less intensive care settings.

“I strongly believe in dignity of risk, and allowing people to maintain their capabilities for as long as possible, even if this means some confronting conversations that may result in families feeling uncomfortable, or questioning the person’s safety,” Ms Baxter explained.

“For example, allowing a person with dementia to walk around the block independently if this is important to them, despite the risk of them getting lost or confused.”

Specialist dementia care units are key to ensuring these clients and their support networks can spend valuable time enjoying each other’s company and reminiscing in whatever capacity possible.

If you would like to learn more about VMCH dementia support, call 1300 698 624 or visit their website.