live with progressive, as yet incurable,
diseases. Gardening both satisfies the desire
of those who are physically active to engage
in something worthwhile, but also offers
the opportunity to be outside in the natural
environment. The importance of nature is
already recognised as of healing value for many
medical and psychological conditions. In this
project involvement with the cycle of life and
the earth is combined with participation in the
local community. Gardening is combined with
picnics and already there is an invitation to
have a communal BBQ as a "thank you" to the
work the Younger Onset Group has done.
members of the group speaking about working
on the Community Garden Project as well as
photos of the progress of the work on the
group's own plot.
Bag 30, Hobart, Tasmania, Australia
Science, University of Tasmania, Private Bag
143, Hobart, Tasmania, Australia
findings from a doctoral study that investigated
capacity building and resilience for the
community-based dementia care workforce.
informal carers' and formal dementia care
workers' perspectives on current and future
community service delivery. The study aimed
to assess the alignment of care expectations
for both types of carers. Sixty-one community-
based dementia carers (25 formal and 36
informal) were recruited from Tasmania,
Australia. Workshop and interview data was
analysed independently for the two carer
groups. Common qualitative themes were
identified for each group and compared.
Carers agreed that more information about
the services available and better community
understanding about dementia was needed. In
addition, specialised training for workers was
commonly reported by both carers. Carers also
had a desire to improve the consistency of care
for people with dementia, and sought more
flexible services. Overall, informal and formal
dementia carers aligned to show carers want
improvements in access to information and
support, workforce training and service delivery
in the community setting. The findings suggest
a broad approach should be applied to capacity
building for community-based dementia care.
This approach may include strategies that
improve community dementia awareness,
workforce skills and organisational systems to
reform future services.
of people with dementia and the care given
can be compromised. Hospitals have
unfamiliar routines and environments that may