Supporting people from diverse communities – Advocate shares lived experience

Dementia Advocate Amanda Wyzenbeek shared her experience of caring for her mother, who lives with Lewy body dementia, during a recent webinar.

The webinar – ‘Supporting people from diverse communities living with dementia’ – is part of Dementia Australia’s Dementia Practice Webinar Series for health and aged care professionals.

It included a panel discussion on strategies to foster inclusivity, respect and effective support for people from diverse communities who are navigating dementia.

Amanda spoke about caring for her mum, the difficulties of cultural stigma around dementia and the isolation of being a carer without community support due to that stigma.

“The cultural stigma surrounding mental health and dementia is a really big one,” Amanda said. “There’s still that fear and lack of education that surrounds dementia and in turn that creates social stigma and discrimination, even social isolation.

“A dementia diagnosis can certainly be seen as a source of shame and that was the case for mum and I,” she said.

“There’s limited access to community resources. If I had known all those many moons ago that there were organisations like Dementia Australia, I strongly believe I would be a completely different person today.

“There’s very few organisations or even support groups specifically tailored to the needs of ethnic individuals with dementia and their families.”

From understanding cultural perceptions of dementia to tailored caregiving approaches, the panel offered invaluable insights and practical tools to ensure everyone receives the compassionate care they deserve.

More than 700 health and aged care professionals attended the webinar, with many more registrants viewing the recording after the event.

You can watch the recording on YouTube here.