Creating inclusive communities for people living with dementia
Last updated on 21 October 2024
Dementia Education leader Dr Al Power returns to Australia and New Zealand in March 2025 and invites you to join him, and Jessica Luh Kim for dementia-specific workshops and a leadership symposium.
World-renowned geriatrician, educator and author Dr Allen Power returns to Australia and New Zealand in March 2025 as part of The Eden Alternative’s three-day Eden Dementia Education series.
Dr Al Power has over two decades of experience in residential care homes, guiding and educating others on transformative approaches to care for those living with changing cognitive abilities.
He has penned the award-winning books, Dementia Beyond Drugs and Dementia Beyond Disease, which have underpinned his teachings and passion for dementia care that avoids the over-reliance on medication and anti-psychotic drugs. A much-anticipated third book will be released in early 2025, coinciding with his visit to Canberra and Auckland.
He will be joined by Canada’s Jessica Luh Kim, a specialist in helping individuals and organisations revolutionise their culture of care for older people living with dementia. Jessica is the key author of Living the Dementia Journey and has more than 20 years of experience working in various aged care settings.
Their visit will elevate the conversation around best practice in dementia care, beginning with the two-day Dementia Beyond Drugs workshop.
This workshop is based on the award-winning book of the same name, and it will explore the concept of person-centred care for people living with dementia. Intertwined with the learnings will be the Eden model’s Seven Domains of Well-being: Identity, connectedness, security, autonomy, meaning, growth and joy.
Understanding how the Domains of Well-being link together with dementia care, beyond drugs, will enable care providers to look past labels and see what’s important to people living with dementia, their identity, what’s meaningful for them and who they are strongly connected to in life.
Sally Hopkins, Executive Director at Eden In Oz & NZ, said we must challenge the negative perceptions of older people living with dementia and take a well-being-focused approach to their care.
“People living with dementia are the only group that we actually segregate because of their disease. Those living with dementia are penalised on so many levels. We want to see more inclusive aged care settings where people are living in blended communities regardless of cognitive ability,” she told Hello Leaders.
The third day will be dedicated to a practical symposium for leaders, titled Creating Inclusive Communities for people living with Dementia, which is delivered in partnership with Community Homes Australia.
Here, Dr Al Power focuses on why we need to unlock the doors for people living with dementia in residential aged care homes.
This is where conversations around blended communities and inclusive care environments will come to the fore through a panel of industry leaders sharing their experiences and tips for leadership-driven change.
Participants can then explore how to plan for, create and implement an inclusive community using a six pillars framework and innovative ideas from others within the sector. Those pillars will be the focal points of Dr Al Power’s new book- which is co-authored by Jennifer Carson and Pat Sprigg – and are as follows:
- Reframing Dementia
- Creating a supportive environment
- Focus upon well-being
- Leverage our collective capacity through dialogue
- Using enabling technology – artificial intelligence and the Principles around technology
- Negotiating Risk – upside/downside risk
The goal of the symposium is to help aged care and community care providers create and implement inclusive communities. This aligns with The Eden Alternative’s own mantra, We teach it. You empower it. People live it.
“We have created the monster that, for many, is current dementia care practice, heavily reliant upon a drugs regime that controls people and their unmet needs. We need to be supportive of the human rights of the individual and have a person-first approach,” Ms Hopkins added.
“Aged care leaders, people living with dementia, their carers, their family members and the broader public need to continue having positive conversations around dementia to demystify it.
“We want people to learn, explore and implement the ideas that they are exposed to in both the 2-day workshop and the 1-day symposium.”
Key dates
Auckland, New Zealand: Auckland Rose Park Hotel, 92-102 Gladstone Road, Parnell
- Tuesday 18th -19th March 2025: Dementia Beyond Drugs Workshop
- Thursday 20th March 2025: Creating Inclusive Communities in Dementia Care 1-Day Symposium
Canberra, Australia: LDK Auditorium, 260 Soward Way, Greenway ACT 2900
- Tuesday 25th – 26th March 2025: Dementia Beyond Drugs Workshop
- Thursday 27th March 2025: Creating Inclusive Communities in Dementia Care 1-Day Symposium
Participants can choose to attend one, two or all three days of the Eden Dementia Education series. Those who attend the Canberra event will be the first to view the documentary premiere of Human Forever by Tuen Toebes on Wednesday 26th March following the Dementia Beyond Drugs workshop.
Tuen’s documentary builds on his book, The Housemates, which explores his own compelling experience of living alongside people with dementia in a Dutch aged care home throughout his early 20s while studying nursing. His dual role as carer and housemate allowed him to embark on a journey of discovery, mythbusting – and now – education.
Interactive and experiential education will be at the heart of both events led by Dr Al Power, and you’re invited to take part. To register your interest in the event, please contact [email protected].
Sponsorship opportunities are also available for both countries.