Bringing about positive changes in the Adelaide Hills community

Dementia Advocates have been engaging in an Adelaide Hills dementia working group which aims to enhance dementia awareness and inclusion in the region. People living with dementia and care partners have provided their ideas on various initiatives to improve the lives of people living with dementia and their families in the Adelaide Hills. The Advocates include Ann Pietsch, John Thorpe, Noel Porter, Vern Marshall, Barry Egan, Brett Partington, and Heather Moses.

One initiative is supporting local community centres and libraries to make small but meaningful changes to their spaces to increase accessibility. The Advocates were asked to provide their feedback on The Hut Community Centre in terms of accessibility and inclusion for people living with dementia and their families.

Community centres in the Adelaide Hills have expressed their interest in becoming dementia-friendly organisations and will use the feedback provided by the Dementia Advocates to enhance inclusivity of their centres in addition to increasing staff and volunteer awareness of dementia.

Photo: Dementia Advocate John Thorpe