Dementia Friendly Homes and Communities

HAMMONDCARE today launched the book My Home, My Life at the Scone Bowling Club.

There are many books on dementia, but co-author Natalie Duggan said most are aimed at health care practitioners, with lots of terminology and information overload, something that can be overwhelming after a diagnosis; so they decided to write a different type of dementia book.

Nicole Ziebell, Natalie Duggan, Caitlyn Easey and David Martin at the My Home, My Life book launch.

“You go home, make a cup of tea and you read a chapter together over a period of time, that is the way it was designed, not to sit and have to read it all at once, the idea of it was the person with dementia can read it with their carer and have that discussion,” said Natalie Duggan.

The book has more than 280 tips for people living with dementia and their carers, tips that are aimed at making life simpler and helping people with dementia stay at home for longer.

“What we have seen when people don’t make the changes in their home, the home becomes unreadable, unfamiliar and confusing…changing the home means that somebody might actually be able to stay at home another five years because nobody wants to go into residential care,” she said.

“We see a lot of people living well with dementia, the diagnosis doesn’t define you…putting some plans in place, having those discussions, choice and control is so important, it means that you have got every possible chance to live well,” she said.

David Martin, General Manager of HammondCare at Home and Retirement Living said he hoped the book would empower people to stay living at home for longer and remain an active member of their community for longer.

“I think the key thing that comes out of the book is, how can you engage the person with dementia in things like shopping, rather than doing for you I will take you up the road with me and you can help choose the oranges, the fruit and the rockmelon…or in the garden, how can I help you do your own gardening rather than doing your gardening for you?” questioned Mr Martin.

“Particularly in Scone and the Upper Hunter it is that sense of how can we work with all the people who work with someone with dementia, who see them in the street, who sell them things in the shops, who serve them in the post office….we can look at ways to make it a dementia friendly and aged friendly community,” David Martin said.

All proceeds of today’s sales were put back into HammondCare’s local facility Strathearn with copies of the book also available there, for more information and to share tips and ideas visit the My Home, My Life website at www.myhomemylifebook.com.