What is a dementia-friendly community?
A dementia-friendly community can be described as a city, town or village where people with dementia are understood, respected and supported, and confident they can contribute to community life.
In a dementia-friendly community people will understand dementia, and people with dementia will feel included and involved, and have choice and control over their day-to-day lives.
No two dementia-friendly communities are alike, however:
- they normally represent a town or regional area
They must include:
- a group of people with dementia alongside others such as carers to act in an advisory capacity (often referred to as a dementia alliance)
- a designated contact person
They may also include:
- a dedicated project officer
- dementia-friendly groups (sporting/social groups etc that have committed to the principles of the Dementia-friendly communities program)
- dementia-friendly organisations (businesses and organisations that have committed to an action plan to make their organisation more dementia-friendly)
Steps to becoming a dementia-friendly community:
- sign up to be a dementia friend and complete module one of the free online learning
- read the dementia-friendly community toolkit
- get people on-board. Join a local dementia alliance or form your own.
- complete an Action Plan and submit it to Dementia Australia to be recognised by your local state based consumer committee or the Dementia-friendly Communities Dementia Advisory Group
- your action plan may undergo some revisions before being recognised
- promote your community both locally and on this website to raise awareness and bring dementia friendly organisations and groups into your community
- stay involved, review and resubmit your action plan annually