Our very own Program Coordinator and Dementia Change Champion (DCC), Caroline Beales has been featured in this month's Alzheimer's WA Newsletter! She has also recently been nominated as Dementia Change Champion of the Year!

Caroline is an amazing supporter of Dementia advocacy and we are so proud to see her recognised in the sector for the incredible knowledge and passion she brings. Congratulations Caroline.

Find out more about the work Alzheimer's WA does by clicking here.

Read the Spotlight Interview

What is your current job title and what does your role entail?

Client coordinator supporting CHSP clients at Rise. My role is responsible for coordinating and implementing home services and providing on-going support and advocacy. I have been a DCC since the end of 2022

What Dementia initiative project have you been working on?

My main project has been to establish an online resource for the staff at Rise called the Dementia Hub. The Dementia Hub was developed to improve support, education, and availability of information foraged care staff so that they feel confident and have the skills to work and effectively support people living with dementia.

The Dementia Hub

• Creates an environment at Rise where we start talking about dementia comfortably.
• Provides a pathway of links for staff to access valuable information like training courses & online resources.
• Focuses on key topics for staff to increase their confidence within their role i.e. communication and links to resources to read and watch.
• Includes a reading list on books available to loan

Memory Packs

• Packs on loan to support workers when visiting clients with memory loss to help provide purposeful and engaging support. Including picture content.
• Content is pictured and described on the Hub

How has your DCC knowledge and experience supported/ enabled this initiative?

Having completed the Cert 4 in Leadership and Innovation in Dementia Services I have grown in confidence and knowledge. I feel equipped to support clients and staff with queries, questions and knowledgeable resources. I speak regularly at Rise about dementia related topics and have grown in confidence and clarity when engaging in these conversations.

My goal when I completed the course was initially centered around supporting staff who visit and provide services for people living with dementia. Having been in similar situations I understood what potential questions could arise and can give constructive support. Of course, the knock-on effect is that by providing a more supportive and understanding service to our clients we are also better able to support the carers and engage more meaningfully with them.

As the topic of dementia becomes more visible at Rise, this encourages others to ask questions and think about the support they are providing.