This year saw an important breakthrough – the launch of Australia’s first Clinical Practice Guidelines on dementia, to give guidance on best practice in dementia care in Australia.

 

Now, an adapted version of these guidelines – aimed at people with dementia and carers – has been published. The 20-page guide is easy to read and sets out clearly what people with dementia and carers can expect: on diagnosis, assessment, care and support at home, advance care planning, and healthy living. The guide includes short lists of practical questions that people with dementia or carers can ask, for example, ‘Questions to ask about diagnosis’ or ‘Questions to ask about community services’.

 

The guidelines were developed with input from people living with dementia and carers working with the National Health and Medical Research Council’s Cognitive Decline Partnership Centre in Sydney, the same group that developed the Guidelines. The guide is available to download online and is called A consumer companion guide to the Clinical Practice Guidelines and principles of care for people with dementia.