interventions to support the caring role and
referral to Alzheimer's Australia Victoria and
other support services.
the following issues:
Misdiagnosis/ delayed diagnosis/ inappropriate
management:
their relative's illness and promote their own
psychological wellbeing as a carer. The impact
of a badly handled disclosure of diagnosis of
dementia is confusion and distress for the
individual and the family (Bamford et al., 2004).
Advice and support given to a carer at an early
stage in the dementia trajectory promotes
the psychosocial well-being of both the carer
and the person with dementia (Aggarwal et al
2003).
Difficulty accessing information from service
providers (Department of Human Services,
2004; Elder, 2007) and accessing suitable
services in a complex health care system
(Elder, 2007; Koch, Marks, & Hofmeyer, 2002;
Wackerbarth & Johnson, 2002) are significant
factors for stress and burden.
role evolved in its objectives and function to
ensure the needs and goals of the person
with cognitive changes and their carers
were met. The CNC joined the client on
their journey so as to best understand and
appreciate their experience and perception
of needs. This allowed for care to be tailored
to the participant, and shifted the aim of the
project from being primarily about obtaining
of a diagnosis to provision of support and
information.
diagnosis is in the eye of the beholder and is
reliant on continued support for the individuals
concerned
Jennifer Grieve²
between an Aboriginal artist, WA Dementia
Training Study Centre and a RACF to discover
principles of care for Aboriginal people with
dementia living in RACF.
regional areas and access mainstream health
services. There is evidence that Aboriginal
families rarely access aged care and dementia
services. One reason for this limited access
could be that many health professionals lack
knowledge and skills required to provide
culturally appropriate care.
cultural awareness education presented
through the medium of art.