BlueCross brings dementia specialist Teepa Snow to Melbourne

Victorian aged care provider BlueCross is working to challenge the negative perceptions of dementia and brain change by hosting dementia specialist Teepa Snow over four days of experiential training for staff, and a free event for the broader community.

Last updated on 4 April 2023

International dementia expert Teepa Snow (left) and BlueCross CEO Ingrid Harvey (right). [Source: Supplied]

The sessions aim to demonstrate a more positive approach to dementia care, going so far as to challenge the outdated mindset of ‘what can’t be done’ to a more encouraging attitude of ‘what can be done’.

With up to 472,000 people living with dementia in Australia alone and more than 68% living in residential aged care having significant to moderate dementia, BlueCross, in partnership with Teepa Snow, is leading the way to shift the thinking and deliver innovative and compassionate approaches to care for those living with dementia.

BlueCross CEO Ingrid Harvey said the recent report stating dementia had overtaken coronary heart disease as the leading cause of disease burden among Australians aged 65 and over, is not news to BlueCross, but it does affirm our investment in supporting those living with brain change, their partners in care, staff and the broader community is the right focus.

“Teepa’s methods are based on the science of brain change and decades of experience and we are thrilled to be the first provider in Australia to partner with her and bring her philosophy and teaching to the BlueCross community,” she said.

“It was important to us that by sponsoring Teepa to come to Australia, we not only had the opportunity to increase capability with staff, but also help unpaid carers of loved ones living with dementia, which includes BlueCross family members and those in the broader
community.”

The community event funded by BlueCross is a free event exploring Normal vs Not Normal Ageing with Teepa Snow. Teepa will explore how the human brain changes as we age, how you know if someone is starting to show signs of dementia and what to do if someone living with dementia approaches you or starts talking to you.

When: Friday 3 March, 2023
Morning session: 10:30am – 12:30pm FULL
Afternoon session: 2pm – 4pm
Where: Hawthorn Arts Centre, 360 Burwood Road, Hawthorn

For more information visit https://www.bluecross.com.au/news/events

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