Tasmanian healthcare workers will have a better understanding of dementia with the Tasmanian Government today committing to fund the roll out of Dementia Australia education and training to hospital staff and community nurses.
Dementia Australia Chief Executive Officer Professor Tanya Buchanan said the Tasmanian Government is to be commended for investing in dementia education and training for its healthcare workers.
“The commitment to invest in dementia education and training for staff in the four major hospitals is real recognition of the increasing impact dementia is having and the importance of taking action,” Professor Buchanan said.
“People living with dementia are hospitalised at approximately twice the rate of the general population, experience poorer outcomes from hospitalisation and typically have longer hospital stays, so it is critical we have staff who are adequately trained and skilled in dementia care.
“With an estimated 11,200 people living with dementia in Tasmania, and this number on the rise, I congratulate the Tasmanian Government on supporting not only people living with dementia and their families through this commitment, but also their healthcare workers by equipping them with vital dementia education and training.”
The Tasmanian Government investment in dementia education and training will be through running D-Esc (De-escalation training), Dementia Australia’s workshop which provides virtual reality (VR) emergency situation training for workers caring for people living with dementia. The course helps participants build empathy and understanding; and uses VR so workers can practice their response in a controlled and safe simulated environment.
D-Esc aims to reduce incidents of stress for people living with dementia, carers and families while increasing the confidence and personal safety of workers.
Dementia Australia has today also welcomed Tasmania’s Parliamentary Friends of Dementia Dementia-Friendly Communities Plan for Tasmania 2026-28 detailing how Members of Parliament can lead in making their electorates more dementia-friendly.
The Plan was developed in consultation with Dementia Australia Dementia Advocates and Tasmania’s Parliamentary Friends of Dementia Co-Convenors the Hon. Bridget Archer MP Minister for Health, Mental Health and Wellbeing, Minister for Ageing, Minister for Aboriginal Affairs, the Hon. Cecily Rosol MP Greens Spokesperson for Health and Mental Health, and Ageing and Professor George Razay MP, Member for Bass.
It will harness the broad range of information, tools and supports provided by Dementia Australia, and includes practical strategies such as guidance for MPs for helping Dementia-Friendly Alliances with supports such as access to meeting rooms and sharing detail of their activities in their communications channels for greater dementia awareness and community building.
The D-Esc workshops and dementia-friendly plan were announced to coincide with a Dementia Australia technology innovation showcase at the Parliament of Tasmania.
The drop-in sessions were an opportunity for all Parliamentarians to experience Dementia Australia’s world‑leading digital tools and technologies that are raising awareness and upskilling Australia’s health and aged care workforces.
Technology demonstrations included D-Esc, Talk with Ted and Dine with Ted which uses technology to educate aged care workers to communicate with and support people living with dementia more effectively, Enabling EDIE VR – a virtual reality experience through the eyes of a person living with dementia and Ask Annie – a practical, flexible, accessible skills training tool that aged care workers can access via their mobile phone to improve their practice in real time.
