Dementia Care and Support in Victoria
Objective 5

Maintain a partnership approach to the identification and development of appropriate responses to the needs of people with dementia, their carers and their families

Page content: Introduction | Sponsor workshops that highlight good practice in the delivery of services for people with dementia, their carers and their families | Provide ongoing support for community consultations about dementia care | Maintain ongoing review of Dementia-Care and Support in Victoria 2000 and Beyond

Introduction

Consultation with service providers, professional groups and consumers would facilitate the ongoing monitoring and development of policy for the provision of responsive services for people with dementia, their carers and their families.

The Victorian Government encourages and supports older people to play an active role in the community, and recognises the valuable contributions made by the participation of older people and their representative organisations in the development of policies and programs that affect older people.

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5.1 Sponsor workshops that highlight good practice in the delivery of services for people with dementia, their carers and their families

A number of Victorian service providers have developed service models that are highly responsive to the needs of people with dementia, their carers and their families. The dissemination of information about service models is a positive means of not only sharing approaches but also raising the awareness of service needs specific to caring for people with dementia.

Organisations share information in a variety of ways. They can, for example, internally develop and maintain a mentoring approach to ongoing training and education. Reciprocal secondments provide a learning opportunity as well as a means of strengthening partnerships. Cooperation among organisations can provide an opportunity to share information about how practices have been improved. Networking provides the opportunity to obtain and exchange information about service and practice issues.

The sponsorship of workshop opportunities would require the development of service delivery topics and venues. Options for incorporating the needs of a diverse Statewide workforce would also need to be considered.

The support of opportunities for the State and Commonwealth Governments, service providers and consumers to share information about appropriate dementia care responses would result in further knowledge of and expertise in dementia care.

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5.2 Provide ongoing support for community consultations about dementia care

The views and experiences of people with dementia and their carers about the many diverse services available, and their advice on how the service system can best respond, are vital for the Government and service providers.

The Victorian Government is committed to the development of partnerships to create a more inclusive, democratic and participatory community. The provision of opportunities for community feedback would be invaluable in the implementation and review of Dementia- Care and Support in Victoria 2000 and Beyond over its lifetime.

For the ongoing support of community consultations, first a framework must be developed that identifies:

• The scope of the consultations.
• The consumers, consumer groups and consumer representatives participating.
• The consultation techniques, for example surveys, focus groups, submissions, etc.
• The desired outcomes.
• Methods of feedback to participants.
• An evaluation method for the consultations.
• A process by which the consumer consultations are linked to the ongoing review of Dementia-Care and Support in Victoria 2000 and Beyond.

The active participation of people affected with dementia in annual consultations in the metropolitan and rural areas of Victoria would ensure community feedback on dementia care.

5.3 Maintain ongoing review of Dementia-Care and Support in Victoria 2000 and Beyond

Given the ongoing evolution of service delivery, the ever increasing knowledge about dementia, and the continuing need to review the degree to which the dementia framework is successful in responding to service needs, it is necessary to formulate a method for the framework's objectives and actions to remain relevant and responsive.

To respond to the changing circumstances and needs of Victorians, an annual process enabling the Victorian Government to retain the involvement and advice of individuals with expertise in dementia and of organisations that provide services to people with dementia, their carers and their families would be valuable. Such an ongoing review process requires the development of a framework that specifies:

• The dementia experts and service providers who are to provide advice.
• The scope and timelines of the review.
• The process by which consumer consultations are to be incorporated.

Dementia-Care and Support in Victoria 2000 and Beyond provides a framework to develop and extend dementia services beyond the year 2000 (see Appendix 4 for a summary of objectives, actions and implementation opportunities). With ongoing review, and the participation of organisations and individuals committed to improving dementia services, the framework will continue to respond to and meet the changing needs of people with dementia, their families and carers.

Given the importance to the Government of providing health and community services to people with dementia, a commitment has been made to supporting Dementia-Care and Support in Victoria 2000 and Beyond.

There is already work in progress towards implementing many possible actions identified in the framework.

Achievements to date include:

• Recurrent funding of $800,000 to the Alzheimer's Association of Victoria for:
  • A policy officer position ($70,000)
  • Support and counselling, referrals to and links with organisations such as Primary Care Partnerships ($730,000).
• Recurrent funding of $300,000 for Psychogeriatric Assessment and Treatment Services to build on and enhance Dementia Support (Behavioural Support Services) across the state.
• Establishment of regional liaison positions to develop and implement consistent referral protocols for agencies providing specialist information and services to people with dementia and their carers.
• Funding for public awareness raising through Alzheimer's Awareness Week.

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