Margaret River to be become dementia-friendly

Margaret River is set to become the state’s third dementia-friendly town following selection by Alzheimers WA to participate in an 8-month long enablement and empowerment project. Margaret River Lions and Margaret River Rotary have committed significant funding towards the project, last week confirming $15,000 each. The Shire of Augusta Margaret River is support the project and hosted the first community consultation on 28 November 2018. Shire President Pam Townshend said she looked forward to developing initiatives to help local people living with dementia to live active and meaningful lives. “Dementia is the leading cause of death of women in Australia, and the second leading cause of death of all Australians,” she said. “We need to embrace this project and ensure people living with dementia can feel safe and supported in their local community.” The 8-month project, led by Alzheimers WA, will involve a local coordinator and working group. Aims for the project include:

Engage with people living with dementia to shape the community around their needs and aspirations; Increase social participation and volunteering opportunities for people living with dementia; Support local businesses to provide accessible services for people living with dementia. Including having staff who understand and know how to communicate effectively; and Create environments that are enabling and easy to navigate.

Margaret River Lions Club President Dorothy Yeoman said both Rotary and Lions club members were proud to be associated with this initiative. “The first two WA towns to become dementia-friendly, Manjimup and York, used a whole-of-town approach which resulted in some very positive changes,” she said. “I feel really passionate about bringing this project to our community.” This project is supported by the WA State Government through the WA Country Health Service. For more information about this project or to get involved please contact Alzheimer’s WA Senior Project Officer Layla Riley at [email protected] or 9388 2800.