Dementia Australia is today celebrating Aged Care Employee Day by acknowledging the tremendous contribution aged care workers make to improving the lives of people living with dementia, their families and carers.
Dementia Australia CEO Maree McCabe AM said, "more than two-thirds of aged care residents have moderate to severe cognitive impairment and aged care employees play a crucial role in supporting them."
"We acknowledge and thank aged care workers for the difference they make to the lives of people living with dementia, their families and their carers," Ms McCabe said.
"Aged care workers continue to be there to support those who need them the most, making a difference each and every shift.
"Aged care workers undertake numerous roles from managers, nurses, personal care workers to outdoor maintenance, housekeeping, administration and in-home care.
"Every single person plays a key role in ensuring those they care for are treated with respect and dignity and have the quality of life they choose."
Ms McCabe said Aged Care Employee Day was an important day to remember that aged care employees make an enormous difference to people living with dementia, their families and carers.
"Access to dementia education and training can help aged care workers better support people living with dementia," Ms McCabe said.
"This Aged Care Employee Day I urge the community to honour aged care staff by recognising the important role they play in the lives of people impacted by dementia."
Dementia Australia offers training and education resources for aged care employees to equip them to better support people living with dementia with accredited programs including the Ask Annie mobile app with five free training modules.
Ask Annie is a mobile education app that helps care workers provide better support to people living with dementia. It provides easy to access training for aged care employees through short, self-paced modules.
Since its launch in June 2021, Ask Annie has been downloaded more than 17,285 times with more than 1,200 paid subscriptions.
"I thank all aged care workers for everything they do to care for people living with dementia who are some of the most vulnerable people in our communities," Ms McCabe said.
James Chaousis became full-time carer of his wife, Linda after she was diagnosed with logopenic progressive aphasia a rare form of frontotemporal dementia, before Linda moved into care in 2022.
James said although Linda is not able to engage in conversation, she has been supported by care workers to maintain her personal routine and interests which includes a variety of mental and visual stimulation as she still has an active mind.
"Care workers are guided by prompt sheets we have in her room of activities Linda enjoys to guide the quantum of workers that engage with her each day," James said.
"On one visit, I needed to rush off to get lunch, but the cook said to me 'you don't have to rush, I am going to serve you up some lunch now, so you can stay a little longer and enjoy your time with Linda'.
"This was a wonderful gesture of kindness and generosity and sheds light on the notion that the carer/partner is included in the care delivered in that setting."
