Dementia support provider, Community Home Australia (CHA) is today hosting a Floriade Community Party – an inclusive day for the whole family regardless of age, ability or diagnosis – at Club Kalina, the organisation’s bustling day centre and heart. CHA’s Rhiannon Toohey, Grants and Research Coordinator, and Nicole Smith, Chief Operating Officer report:
At CHA, our aim is to reduce the stigma and discrimination that often occurs when people receive a diagnosis of dementia. Building our connection to community helps spread our message that people with dementia are still the person they were before, regardless of their diagnosis.
Intergenerational programs are becoming more important than ever, as research has shown that involving people living with dementia and children has excellent benefits for both parties. As children interact with our members living with dementia, they become familiar with them, get to know them as individuals. It is our hope that this person-centred perspective will reduce the stigma of dementia in the generations to come.
We believe that when people living with dementia are positively contributing to others, you see less of the dementia and more of the person.
Therefore, we regularly participate in charity work with our members: we collect, sort, and deliver clothes to Roundabout Canberra; we collect and sort lids for Lids4Kids to recycle; and we even adopt rescue dogs that live in our Supported Independent Living homes with our guests with dementia.
Our members and guests are living proof that people with younger onset dementia, with the right support from the whole community, are capable of giving back and being included throughout all stages of their diagnosis.
Our community event has been organised by Mel Judd and Rhiannon Toohey. The event would not have been possible without all the hard work from the amazing team members of Community Home Australia.
We would like to thank Floriade for graciously selecting CHA to receive the grant of $2,000 towards our event.
If you have known someone needing our day centre, respite or support independent living services – contact our team on 1800 273 006 or email us at [email protected] or via the contact form on the website.
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