Dementia Action Week

This Dementia Action Week (16-22 September) we’re encouraging everyone to take the first step to learn more about dementia and how you can help shape our communities for the better.

Transcript

[Beginning of recorded material]

[Visual: Natalie exercises at the gym]

Natalie: My name is Natalie, and I'm living with primary progressive aphasia, and it impacts the language area of the brain. I would like people to know that no two people with dementia will present in the same way, that symptoms will vary, and a little kindness and support will go a long way with community support and awareness of dementia. So, we are here today at this fantastic gym that is becoming inclusive and dementia-friendly by auditing their premises, and changing things to make it easier for people like myself, living with dementia, to be able to attend.

Charlene: My name is Charlene Borg, and I'm the owner of Fitness for Her in Altona Meadows. Initially, getting involved in the dementia-friendly communities was meeting Natalie. She mentioned that she had early onset dementia. I wanted, obviously, to make it as easy as I could, and make her comfortable exercising in the studio – having more gym classes that will be more dementia-friendly, low impact exercise. I would say to business owners, it's not that difficult at all. Asking and listening to the clients, and how your business can make a positive change, and contacting Dementia Australia, and they will give you support.

Natalie: I walked through the gym with the gym manager, Charlene, and had a look at how making little changes, they don't have to be big changes, just small changes, to be able to help people living with dementia experience a better experience within the gym. So, we are looking at signage – we are looking at making signage bigger for people to be able to see, and including little visuals so that if they're not able to understand words, they can look at that picture and say, “Yep, I know exactly what's going on,” so there isn't any confusion. So, it's those little changes that really do make a big difference. Being supported is what made the difference for me, and understanding of dementia, and that it's not to be feared. In fact, it's opposite, it's to be understood. And if we get it right for people living with dementia, don't forget, we get it right for everybody.

[Title card: Act now for a dementia-friendly future]

[Title card: Dementia Action Week 18-24 September 2023. Dementia.org.au/DementiaActionWeek]

[END of recorded material]

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