JourneyOnline
Not-for-profit service provider Blue Care will launch new programs to care for people with dementia. Journey reports.
Blue Care has received $243 000 in grant funding to implement programs to care for people with dementia.
The grant funding was awarded by a coalition of philanthropic groups: the Perpetual Foundation—John Thomas Wilson Endowment, the Gladys Myrtle Brown Charitable Trust and the Dr and Mrs JJ Luddy Charitable Trust.
The money will fund a dementia specialist for 12 months in Blue Care Brisbane’s south services and a pilot program of staff education and mentoring based on Montessori for Dementia teaching methods.
Blue Care memory support advisor Denise Edwards says six Blue Care sites in Queensland would pilot the Montessori for Dementia program, involving approximately 40 staff members.
“Dementia care models have historically been based on what people can’t do, whereas Blue Care and Montessori’s method identifies client’s strengths and what they can do,” says Denise.
“Our preferred method focuses on activities clients used to do but may not remember how to, such as eating dinner, setting the table and having an active role to play in the community.”
Dementia describes a collection of symptoms caused by disorders affecting the brain, which affects thinking, behaviour and the ability to perform everyday tasks.
Blue Care provides dementia-specific care across its residential aged care, community care and respite care centres and services.
The grant funding comes just months after Blue Care was admitted into the Queensland Business Leaders Hall of Fame, a joint initiative between QUT Business School, State Library of Queensland and the Queensland Library Foundation.
It celebrates those organisations and individuals who have enhanced the state’s reputation and economy.
“Blue Care has a proud legacy of assisting Queenslanders and it is an absolute privilege to receive this great honour on behalf of the organisation and staff and volunteers,” says Robyn Batten, Blue Care’s executive director.
“We’ve always believed in supporting people to remain living at home for as long as possible and have facilitated this since the early days of the Blue Nursing Service 62 years ago.”
Blue Care, which started with a single nurse, Olive Crombie, was founded by Rev Arthur Preston at West End Mission (now West End Uniting Church). It now employs more than 11 000 staff and volunteers, caring for more than 12 500 people every day across 260 sites throughout Queensland and northern New South Wales.
