We are seeking funding for the following two initiatives: 1. Working with the Residential Aged Care sector – to improve the standard of care and quality of life for people with dementia who are living in an aged care setting. This will involve specialised training of aged care staff and pairing families (including the person ...
Dementia Doulas Australia
Changing Dementia Care in Australia
GOAL
$50,000
Australia > National / Multi-state > Metro and Regional
Field of Interest
- Health/wellbeing and medical research
Target Population
- People with a disability, illness or disease
- Seniors (65+)
Dementia Doulas Australia
There are approximately 433,000 people in Australia who are living with dementia. This number is expected to increase to more than 1,000,000 by 2065. Dementia is now the leading cause of death in Australia. Approximately 70% of people with dementia live outside of residential aged care and they are supported by family carers, who often feel isolated and stressed.
The families that are impacted by dementia need much more than organisations such as Dementia Australia are currently able to provide. Dementia Doulas Australia was established in 2024 to essentially fill the gap. Our purpose is to ensure that every person with dementia and their families have ongoing access to the services, counsel and support of a fully qualified Dementia Doula. Wendy Hall is the founder of Dementia Doulas Australia and she has an extensive background as a registered nurse, paramedic and dementia consultant.
A Dementia Doula is a non-clinical role that better prepares families for the path of dementia, from pre-diagnosis through to the time of bereavement, which for some families can be a journey of 10+ years. By assisting families to have a plan in place earlier, it means they are better prepared for the challenges they will ultimately have to face. It is an enablement model, and it means that the family are better informed to be able to have meaningful conversations with clinicians and service providers along the way.
Project Summary
We are seeking funding for the following two initiatives:
1. Working with the Residential Aged Care sector – to improve the standard of care and quality of life for people with dementia who are living in an aged care setting. This will involve specialised training of aged care staff and pairing families (including the person with dementia) with a Dementia Doula for an ongoing relationship. Our training aims to elevate the compassionate care perspective that is often missing, and it complements the existing clinical and personal care components. The individual care needs of families are brought into the care equation. We believe that there is scope for most residential aged care homes to eventually have a trained Dementia Doula on staff, to work with the families of their residents. Currently, most aged care homes are resident-focused but with dementia, we believe that a family-focused approach (including the person with dementia at the centre) is considerably more effective.
2. Working with the general community – to improve the lives of Australian families that have a person with dementia living at home. Our aim here is to meaningfully connect with families, discuss and evaluate their needs, provide them with access to our existing programs (we run an online family support community and a health and wellbeing program for family carers) and most importantly, to link them with a fully qualified Dementia Doula. The Dementia Doula works side-by-side with the family, offering person-centred and emotionally intelligent care throughout the entire dementia journey.
Project Outcomes
Our model enables families to play more of a directive role in care provision for the family member with dementia they support. Given the aged care staffing shortages across the country, our aim is to enable families themselves to become part of the solution and provide greater support to staff both in community and higher care settings.
The need is immense, but we believe that over time, the project initiatives would serve to radically change the way that dementia affects the lives of thousands of Australians, for the better.
Budget Breakdown
TOTAL BUDGET: $250,000
FUNDING
| Funding source | Amount |
|---|---|
| Funding Gap | $50,000 |
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