New Specialist Dementia Care Unit opens in Brisbane
A NEW Specialist Dementia Care Program unit has opened up at St Martin’s Residential Aged Care home in Taigum.
It is one of three locations in Queensland successful in the Commonwealth Government’s first round of funding for the new program, along with Brisbane South and Mackay.
The program aims to:
- Provide care for people exhibiting severe symptoms of dementia who are unable to be effectively cared for by mainstream aged care services.
- Enable residential aged care providers to deliver care in a dedicated dementia friendly environment.
- Provide intensive, specialised residential care with a focus on stabilising and reducing the person’s symptoms over time with the aim of enabling transition to a less intensive care setting.
Inside the dining room at the new Specialist Dementia Care Program unit at St Martin’s.
Kate Hawkins, Specialist Dementia Care Program Manager at Anglicare Southern Queensland, said the first resident is set to move in within the next fortnight.
“This is an exciting opportunity for St Martin’s to be among the first aged care homes in Australia to establish this specialist capability in dementia care, with our residents and wider community set to benefit from the advanced skills and knowledge of the staff in the unit,” Ms Hawkins said.
“The objective is that residents would only reside in the unit for short period of time until the specialist support and care they receive will enable them to transition into a general aged care setting after that period, whether that be at St Martin’s or another nearby home.
“We know there is a growing need for specialist dementia care in Australia and that units like these will be important assets in our local community.”
The new fully trained staff are excited to welcome their guests.
Maureen Lawrance lost her husband Tom in April after a year long battle with delirium and dementia and said the new unit at St Martin’s will be a great asset.
“I was told that if Tom survived the delirium he would end up with dementia and so we started our journey at St Martin’s very unexpectedly after 12 weeks at the hospital,” Ms Lawrance said.
“It’s pretty confronting when all of a sudden you have to think of nursing homes. I was very fortunate that I had a friend who talked to me about what was happening and she said to me, “don’t be put off by the older style nursing homes. You usually find the older ones put more into love than they do into bricks.
Maureen with her late husband Tom at St Martin’s.
“From there our journey at St Martin’s started and Tom was here a lot longer. He was very ill and wasn’t expected to be here longer than four weeks but that turned into quite a few months and I learned a great respect for St Martin’s and the staff.”
For more information on the Specialist Dementia Care Program unit, visit the website here.
Media Coverage:
Ten News First Queensland aired on Thursday July 9
