Home care operator in trial to tackle loneliness and impact of dementia

An Australian-first trial is seeking to address the lack of targeted treatment for social cognitive impairments in seniors.

The Not For Profit home care provider Silverchain, UNSW Sydney’s Centre for Healthy Brain Ageing (CHeBA), and the University of Queensland (UQ) are aiming to slow the decline of cognitive abilities and dementia by enhancing the social cognitive skills of older adults with cognitive concerns.

By promoting social connection, boosting confidence in social situations, and encouraging participation in activities, the program seeks to improve the quality of life for older individuals.

 

The collaboration, funded by a Dementia Australia Research Foundation Postdoctoral Fellowship awarded to Dr Suraj Samtani at CHeBA, will be implemented at Silverchain, which has over 115,000 clients across Australia.

The program, developed by the research team, will be accessible online and has the potential to benefit older people throughout Australia, including those living in regional or remote areas.

 

Older Australians with subjective cognitive decline or in the early stages of dementia can experience changes in social cognitive skills that increase their risk of loneliness and depression, but early intervention has the potential to improve their social engagement, community participation, and quality of life.

With nearly 50 million people worldwide impacted by dementia, the program, if found effective, could be made freely available to all Australians living with dementia.

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A special thanks to our contributors

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Caroline Egan

DCM Media, agedcare101

Caroline has a wealth of experience writing within the retirement and aged care sector and is a contributing journalist for the Villages.com.au and agedcare101 blog and accompanying newsletters.

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Ian Horswill

Journalist

Ian is a journalist, writer and sub-editor for the aged care sector, working at The DCM Group. He writes for The Weekly Source, agedcare101, villages.com.au and the DCM Institute fortnightly newsletter Friday. Ian is in daily contact with CEOs of retirement living, land lease and the aged care operations and makes a new contact every week. He investigates media releases, LinkedIn and Facebook for a good source for ideas for stories.

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Lauren Broomham

Retirement and Aged Care Journalist

Lauren is a journalist for villages.com.au, agedcare101 and The Donaldson Sisters. Growing up in a big family in small town communities, she has always had a love for the written word, joining her local library at the age of six months. With over eight years' experience in writing and editing, she is a keen follower of news and current affairs with a nose for a good story.

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Jill Donaldson

Physiotherapist

Jill has been practicing as a clinical physiotherapist for 30 years. For the last 13 years she has worked solely in the Aged Care sector in more than 50 metropolitan and regional facilities. Jill has also toured care facilities in the US and Africa and is a passionate advocate for both the residents in aged care and the staff who care for them. She researches and writes for DCM Media.

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Chris Baynes

DCM Media, agedcare101

Chris has been a journalist and publisher in the retirement village and aged care sectors for 11 years. He has visited over 250 retirement villages and 50 aged care facilities both within Australia and internationally. Chris is a regular speaker at industry conferences plus is a frequent radio commentator.

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Annie Donaldson

Nurse and Carer

Annie has a long career in both nursing and the media. She has planned and co-ordinated the medical support from both international TV productions and major stadium events. In recent years she has been a primary family carer plus involved in structured carer support.