Statistics show more than 400,000 Australians are living with dementia and 12,000 of those people live in Western Sydney(1). Around half of the people living with dementia remain undiagnosed.
We have developed a Western Sydney Dementia Handbook to assist your patients and their loved ones, in accessing the support needed from the time of a dementia diagnosis and beyond.
Whilst the information in the handbook is not an exhaustive index, we aim to enable patients, their families and cares with information that will assist in important conversations they will need to have, including:
- The types of dementia and risk factors
- Early signs and symptoms
- Diagnosing dementia
- Support available after diagnosis
- Advance care planning
If you are a health professional, consider providing this handbook to your patient who has received a diagnosis of dementia or is having difficulties with their cognition. Pages 13 to 27 contain a directory of community services in our Western Sydney region to support patients with cognitive changes and dementia.
Additional Dementia Resource Available for Patients and Their Carers
Healthy Western Sydney: a free service directory for community members and health professionals in Western Sydney offering information on palliative care, aged care and dementia services in Western Sydney. Visit Healthy Western Sydney to access health services.
Face Dementia: a program supporting general practitioners, practice nurses and their teams to improve identification, assessment and management of dementia. Available resources include:
- Assessing for mild cognitive impairment (MCI) and dementia flowchart
- MCI post-diagnostic review and regular review checklist
- Dementia post-diagnostic review checklist
- Dementia regular review checklist
- Video resources for GPs, practice nurses and medial reception staff
Visit the Face Dementia resources for General Practice website to access these resources.
Dementia Australia pack for GPs: This free printed kit includes information on services and resources, the BrainTrack app for early diagnosis and a script pad for direct referrals. GPs can visit Dementia Australia to access the pack.
The Dementia Guide: A comprehensive guide from Dementia Australia about the impact of dementia, planning for the future and caring for those with a diagnosis. Download the Dementia Guide on the Dementia Australia website.
Supporting First Nations People and Culturally and Linguistically Diverse Communities
It is important to understand each patient’s unique cultural needs, values and beliefs, when delivering a dementia diagnosis.
Our handbook includes specific resources for First Nations people, which includes how to consider honest ways to yarn and build trust and can help the health care team support personal choices that are respectful of both family and culture.
Dementia Australia has developed translated resources for patients and their families from culturally and linguistically diverse (CALD) communities and runs Dementia Care Navigator, helping CALD patients and their families and carers to navigate the health and aged care service sectors and connect with services most suitable for their circumstance.
There are also refugee-specific services available, such as STARTTS, SydWest Multicultural Services and Jesuit Refugee Services.
For more information about our Dementia Care Handbook and resources, please visit our webpage.
The development of the handbook is informed by the work undertaken by South Western Sydney Primary Health Network and Dementia Australia.
Source: Dementia in Australia, Australian Institute of Health and Welfare, March 2024, https://www.aihw.gov.au/reports/dementia/dementia-in-aus/contents/population-health-impacts-of-dementia/prevalence-of-dementia#prev_comm
Information is correct as of 23 May 2024.