NICM researchers awarded MRFF funding to help individuals, families and communities navigate dementia
Researchers from NICM Health Research Institute (NICM) at Western Sydney University, have secured $900,000 in funding from the Medical Research Future Fund (MRFF) to support the expansion of Dementia Friends Unite – a culturally-accessible, community-based dementia education program – across Australia.
Developed for and with people with dementia, the program aims to improve quality of life for thousands of people from culturally and linguistically diverse backgrounds by increasing knowledge and understanding of dementia, improving early access to support services, and better equipping family members who provide care.
Lead researcher, Dr Diana Karamacoska, a cognitive neuroscientist at NICM, said the need to advance culturally accessible dementia support in Australia is vital and urgent.
“Among the 550,000-plus Australians impacted by dementia, one in three identify as culturally and linguistically diverse and continue to face entrenched barriers to timely, high-quality dementia care,” said Dr Karamacoska.
“Stigma, fear, language barriers and misconceptions have contributed to a culture of silence, leaving many families to navigate dementia without support or formal recognition.”
“Our program has been co-designed with dementia alliances and care providers to reverse this trend, and will deliver culturally-safe, community-based dementia education in eight commonly spoken languages – Mandarin, Arabic, Vietnamese, Cantonese, Hindi, Spanish, Macedonian, and English.”
This new grant builds on the success of a pilot program, born in Canterbury-Bankstown, which brought together community groups and several services including the Canterbury Bankstown Dementia Alliance, South Western Sydney Local Health District, South Western Sydney Primary Health Network and several Councils, and had more than 220 people participate.
Daniela Montero, Founder Dementia Action Groups, said the expansion of the Dementia Friends Unite program is an important step forward for families and communities trying to navigate a dementia care system often challenged by long waitlists and limited culturally appropriate services.
“When I connect directly with non-English speaking families, I see firsthand just how alone and afraid they feel, and the severe lack of resources available to them,” said Ms Montero.
“This project is the bridge they desperately need, helping the community truly understand and close the gap for those who are completely disconnected from mainstream services.”
A/Prof Genevieve Steiner-Lim, NHMRC Emerging Leadership Fellow and Clinical Research Platform Lead at NICM said:
“Despite culturally and linguistically diverse communities being identified as a Priority Population in Australia’s National Dementia Action Plan, they remain underrepresented in dementia research, service co-design and workforce planning, widening gaps in evidence-based care practice and policy.”
We’re grateful to the Medical Research Future Fund for supporting this research and our efforts to contribute to reducing this gap.”
In addition to this MRFF support, the $1.3 million Dementia Friends Unite project includes significant in-kind support from collaborators including Dementia Australia, AASHA Australia Foundation, multiple councils (including Camden, Canterbury Bankstown, Inner West, City of Canada Bay, Fairfield City, Ku-ring-gai, Liverpool City, Wingecarribee Shire and Wollondilly Shire), service providers Better Care Delivered, Community First Step, Warrigal and Multicultural Care, health districts including Illawarra Shoalhaven Health District and South Western Sydney Local Health District as well as dementia alliances including Inner West Region Dementia Friendly Community Alliance and Ku-ring-gai Dementia Alliance.
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