Dementia Care

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8 Australian Journal of Dementia Care December 2016/January 2017 Vol 5 No 6
and her partnerAnne Tudor will
show a short film inwhich they
read out letters that they wrote
to each other every day for a
week. Their letters, which they
are reading on film for the first
time, demonstrate the power of
their love and the challenges of
living with dementia.
After viewing the film,
symposiumdelegates will be
invited to write a letter to
someone living with dementia
(perhaps to one of the
symposium speakers, or a
familymember, a neighbour or a
client) to share something they
love about the person they are
writing to. They are also invited
to give or post the letter to that
person. This activity provides
participants with a structured
approach to communicating
with someone who is living
with dementia, and has been
well received previously.
Service providers and
communitymembers are
encouraged to think about this
‘Appreciative Inquiry’ (AI)
approach in their encounters
with people living with
dementia. TheAI approach aims
to guide change by focusing on
what is working rather than
trying to fix what isn’t. It
involves collecting people’s
stories of ‘something at its best’
and looking for ways inwhich
‘what works’ can be improved.
Messages of love or valuing and
respect don’t always need to be
written – but can be
communicated verbally or
through our actions.
Focus on evidence
There is very little information
on love and the related
challenges and opportunities in
the lives of people living with
dementia. To address this gap
the symposiumwill be used to
develop an evidence base by
recording presentations (printed
materials and film) by the expert
speakers. The focus on evidence
aims to give service providers
and policymakers an
understanding of key issues that
need to be addressed. In the
process of developing the
symposiumprogram, we have
also interviewed the speakers.
The quality and nature of the
insights shared by the speakers
has been so powerful that an
edited book is currently being
produced andwill be launched
at the symposium. This
highlights an important point in
recognition of love in the lives of
people living with dementia:
nothing about us without us.
Creative possibilities
The symposiumwill also use a
range of art-based approaches to
add to the evidence base on
dementia and love. Agroup of
Ballarat artists has formed to
help explore the creative
possibilities for the event and
organisers are currently
negotiating with them to shape
the symposium (think opera,
dance, music, visual arts,
photography). An arts-based
approachwill enable us to
develop innovative forms of
evidence andwill also help to
ensure that delegates are
engaged and enjoy the
symposium.
We want to ensure that
participants leave the event
inspired and with resources to
implement strategies in their
workplace or community.
Income generated from
registrations will be used to
develop a resource package on
dementia and love, including
two short films and the edited
book. We will also be launching
Bigger Hearts: the first steps towards
a dementia-friendly Ballarat
By Dr Catherine Barrett
In its Creating dementia-friendly communities guide,
Alzheimer’s Australia (2014) highlights the importance of
fostering a sense of urgency and bringing together a
powerful coalition of allies to create change.
This was the motivation for the launch of the Bigger Hearts
campaign in Ballarat, Victoria this year. The project uses art
and story-based approaches to engage local residents in
understanding the experiences of people living with
dementia and in building support for a Local Dementia
Alliance to work towards creating a dementia-friendly
Ballarat.
It was inspired by the experiences of Ballarat residents Edie
Mayhew, who is living with younger onset dementia, and
her partner Anne Tudor. Edie and Anne found that
improving their communication deepened the connection
they shared. The Bigger Hearts project seeks to build on
these insights and engage local residents in listening to and creating connections with people living with
dementia.
Bigger Hearts was launched in August by TV personality Gorgi Coghlan and then community members
were invited to complete heart-shaped postcards outlining their suggestions for a more dementia-
friendly Ballarat. Over 350 postcards, along with posters, were made and displayed in local businesses
called ‘Bigger Hearts Hubs’.
Bigger Hearts film launch
A key focus of the project has been the development of a short film, sponsored by Australian Unity. The
Bigger Hearts film shows seven people living with dementia sharing stories about their lives and
experiences of dementia with community members (including an ambulance officer, police officer,
teacher, postal officer and academic). The beauty of this film is in its ordinariness – it shows people with
dementia talking about gardens, music, children, and community members reflecting on the joy of
listening to people living with dementia.
The film is being used as an education tool by community groups, service providers and family
members. It has helped to foster a sense of urgency and create allies in the development of a dementia-
friendly Ballarat. Over 80 people attended the film launch in November and 35 people have expressed
interest in the Local Dementia Alliance. The Bigger Hearts film is available to watch at
The project is a partnership between Celebrate Ageing, Alzheimer’s Australia Vic, City of Ballarat,
Australian Unity, Ballarat Health Service and the Ballarat North Neighbourhood House.
To find out more visit
References
Alzheimer’s Australia (2014) Creating dementia-friendly communities: community toolkit. Starting a local dementia
alliance. Available at:
Dr Catherine Barrett is the Director of Celebrate Ageing, a national program building respect for older people.
Community members completed heart-
shaped postcards outlining their
suggestions for a more dementia-friendly
Ballarat. Over 350 postcards were made
and displayed in local businesses.
Photo: Ballarat Photography