Narrabri NSW Australia

Paving the way to a more inclusive and supportive culture

The North West NSW town of Narrabri is working with key stakeholders to create a community culture and environment that is supportive of and accessible to people living with dementia.

A Steering Committee consisting of interested members of the community, local business people and health service representatives leads Narrabri’s dementia-friendly community project.

The committee includes representatives from the Chamber of Commerce, Rotary, Hunter New England Health, The Whiddon Group, Narrabri Shire Council and HealthWISE, and has been meeting since 2016. It has developed and submitted a community action plan and is utilising the expertise of Dementia Australia staff and its informational resources to take the steps necessary to become a dementia-friendly community.

Two educational community events were held in September to engage with businesses and community groups. The events included a presentation given by Dementia Australia, as well as access to toolkits that will help businesses and service providers evaluate current environments and practices, and work towards becoming more dementia-friendly.

The committee is also hoping to engage with the Council’s Disability Inclusion Plan to inform future planning and capital works projects such as paving, lighting, signage and amenities, so dementia-friendly principles can be incorporated.