More than 421,000 Australians live with dementia, yet it is often misunderstood. According to Dementia Australia, it is the second leading cause of death in Australia. The Royal Commission into Aged Care Quality and Safety revealed that one in three people with dementia using aged care services aren’t receiving the support they need.
At Annecto, we believe that every person living with dementia deserves informed support. That’s why we are focusing on improving the way we provide dementia support, with more education, research
and training.
In July 2024, nine Annecto staff members became certified Dementia Guides through Dementia Training Australia (DTA). The newly certified guides are now sharing knowledge and insights with their
local teams and are the go-to people for dementia-related questions. Our goal is to build dementia-friendly communities across all Annecto locations.
Home Care Coordinator Pio Palma is one of Annecto’s new Dementia Guides.
“We are fortunate enough to be given this opportunity,” he shared. “We can echo the skills and the knowledge that we got from the training.”
Allan lives with dementia and receives support from Annecto. He values the professionalism of his support workers and says it allows him to pursue his passion for painting.
“Annecto supports me in maintaining a positive outlook to life, I am able to engage with the community and live independently in my home. I feel safe and valued.”
Annecto had previously partnered with DTA in 2022 to train 200 staff members from the South Eastern and Northern Melbourne (SENMR) locations on the basics of dementia support. The results
were encouraging: 87% of participants said they would continue to use what they had learned in their daily interactions with the people we support.
Due to its success, Annecto is now working on rolling out this training at all our locations.
In addition to an investment in training, we’re actively involved in ongoing dementia research. In 2022, we partnered with Monash University to deliver and test a dementia exercise research study. The study aimed to assist people living with dementia to build and maintain important physical skills required to carry out daily tasks and prevent injury. Annecto support workers were trained to guide
participants and their primary carers with the exercise program.
After the 12-week exercise program, participants reported feeling more active and less fearful of falls. Support workers noticed that their customers’ balance had considerably improved. All the carers
interviewed also shared that they thought the program had been beneficial for the person they cared for.
“Training support workers to supervise home care customers to do exercises is a great idea as many older people do not know what exercises they could do at home to improve their physical health,” a
participating customer said.
Shelley Stewart, Annecto People and Culture Business Partner, was part of organising the training and saw firsthand what the impact was.
“The beautiful thing is these support workers not only completed the program but they also joined an expert panel to report their findings. The panel included physios, doctors, and university experts. I can honestly say I haven’t been prouder to represent Annecto.”
In February 2024, Annecto partnered with the University of New South Wales (UNSW) and the Centre for Healthy Brain Ageing (CHeBA) to participate in the Computerised-Sydney Test of Activities
of daily living in Memory disorders (C-STAM) study. This study aims to detect early signs of cognitive challenges and dementia.
Annecto Research Manager Daniel Romano was key in building a partnership with UNSW and led Annecto’s participation in this study
“Being part of this study helps us understand dementia better, allowing us to provide improved support for our customers,” Daniel said.
Katya Numbers, Postdoctoral Research Fellow and Lecturer at CHeBA, mentioned at an Annecto’s learning forum that “by focusing on early intervention and innovative research, we can make a
meaningful impact on the lives of those facing dementia, helping to slow its progression and preserve quality of life.”
At Annecto, we are committed to providing informed support that results in better outcomes for people living with dementia. We understand the importance of partnerships and will continue to invest in training, education and research to grow as an organisation in this space.
Annecto supports you to live independently in your own home. To learn more about the services we offer, click here.
