THE next step in making Taree, Wingham and surrounds dementia friendly will be taken at a public meeting on Wednesday June 29 at Club Taree at 4.30 pm. Following the meeting a steering committee will be formed.
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The Myall Lakes has the highest proportion of people aged over 65 in NSW and the second highest prevalence of people with dementia.
Member for Myall Lakes Stephen Bromhead said he wants to bring together relevant people, “to see what our community can do to assist by helping turn Taree and Wingham into dementia-friendly communities”.
“Six months ago, a similar process began in Forster/Tuncurry and I am keen to use the lessons learned to develop plans to assist people with dementia and their carers in Taree/Wingham,” said Mr Bromhead.
“Alzheimer’s Australia NSW has developed a guide for local communities on how to become more ‘dementia friendly’, which means that a community works together to ensure it has a more inclusive environment.
“Such items may include the local physical environment; the attitude of other people; the retail and business environment; and asking cafes and restaurants to print special menus with a larger font size to assist reading, not only for people with dementia, but also seniors and those with poor eyesight.
“You may have found some things in the community that are already working well, but there may be areas that you feel could do with improvement and, if so, I invite you to come to the next meeting to learn more and consider joining the steering committee. We want Taree/Wingham to be Dementia Friendly towns.
“This is just the beginning of the process and I encourage anyone with an interest in assisting the steering committee to get in touch with me at my office on 6555 4099 or at myalllakes@parliament.nsw.gov.au.”
Please RSVP to the meeting on 6555 4099.
