Randwick City could soon become a little friendlier for people suffering from dementia under a potential partnership between Randwick City Council and Alzheimer’s Australia.
Council recently resolved to work with Alzheimer’s Australia to make Randwick City a ‘dementia-friendly society’.
The move follows calls by 2013 Australian of the Year and Alzheimer’s Australia President Ita Buttrose to adopt similar approaches to those taken in the UK.
Initiatives in the UK program include elements such as training staff in organisations in the retail sector, in financial services, emergency services, utility companies and transport providers to recognise and better respond to the needs of customers with dementia.
It also includes establishing networks of ‘dementia champions’ throughout the country who can educate people in local communities via workplaces, clubs, services and town halls. The scheme aims to train one million people as dementia champions by 2015.
Randwick Mayor Tony Bowen welcomed the initiative.
“Increasingly, as our society ages, more and more people are going to suffer from dementia and I believe we should follow the lead of other countries to protect the rights of people living with dementia.
“It’s estimated that more than 320,000 Australians live with dementia and this figure is expected to increase by one third to 400,000 in the next decade.
“I believe as a society we have a responsibility to make our community inclusive and safe for everyone – including those living with dementia.
“I’m looking forward to learning more about how we can support the great work of Alzheimer’s Australia.”
Council staff are currently preparing a report on any costs involved in the roll-out of a dementia-friendly society program.
