Reflections from a person who has been around for a

long time!

Virginia Moore

Dementia Services Consultant

Brightwater Care Group

Why reflect

• Past creates the Present

• Present defines / shapes the Future

Major Change Drivers 1980s

• Early 80’s establishment of ADARDS centres across the country

• 1982 – McLeay Report

• 1986 – Grimes Report• Establishment of bed ratios for over 70’s

• Ax for entry to residential care

• Outcome Standards

• CAM, SAM, OCRE, RCI

• GATS

1980s cont’d

• Dementia Hostel Grants

• Decision to mainstream dementia services

• Home And Community Care funding for

community services

• Social Role Valorisation as a service model

1990s

• Focus on the built environment

– Design, use of language like ‘homelike’

– Size of facilities

– Cluster models

• Training initiatives

• Dementia action plan

– Grants for specific projects

1990s cont’d

• Beginning of quality improvement

• Best practise grants

• Customer service concept

• Validation

• RCI replaced by RCS

• Significant growth in community service

options

1997

• Aged Care Act

• Accreditation process replaced Outcome

Standards

• By 1/01/2001 all residential services accredited

• C/wlth funding for training

• Research both medical and social

• Deliberate introduction by Alz Aust of the term

“Living with dementia”

1997-2000

• Beginnings of centering on the Person

• Alzheimer’s Assoc support services

growing

• Education programmes for carers and care

staff

2000 +

• 2002 Jorm Report – ‘The dementia

epidemic’

• 2003 State dementia action plans

• 2004 Access Economics Report

• Training initiatives for GP’s with focus on

early diagnosis

• Research on preventative measures

2007

• Dementia Training Study Centres

• Dementia Behaviour Management Advisory

Centres

• Accute care training programmes

• Early onset dementia programmes

• Consumer Advisory Groups

Present – What’s good about

dementia services in Australia?

• Dementia is a National Health Priority

• Community awareness is on the increase

• Language is beginning to change

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DEMENTIA IS IN THE NEWS

Future?

• Evaluation from the customer perspective

• Recent editorial in Brit J. of Psychiatry (Burke)

– Cautious optimism in brains capacity for repair and/or

regeneration

– Exercise and relationships as key factors

• Relationships?

– Connection is core of relationship

– Being wholly present for another – now

– Inner stillness that allows for connection