New specialist dementia care program unit for Brisbane North

St Martins Residential Aged Care home at Taigum is the site of Brisbane North’s first Specialist Dementia Care Program (SDCP) unit.

It is one of three locations in Queensland successful in the Commonwealth Government’s first round of funding for the new program, along with Brisbane South and Mackay.

The program aims to:

• provide care for people exhibiting severe symptoms of dementia who are unable to be effectively cared for by mainstream aged care services
• enable residential aged care providers to deliver care in a dedicated dementia friendly environment
• provide intensive, specialised residential care with a focus on stabilising and reducing the person’s symptoms over time with the aim of enabling transition to a less intensive care setting.

Kate Hawkins, Specialist Dementia Care Program Manager at Anglicare Southern Queensland, said the new unit would open in July 2020.

“This is an exciting opportunity for St Martins to be among the first aged care homes in Australia to establish this specialist capability in dementia care, with our residents and wider community set to benefit from the advanced skills and knowledge of the staff in the unit,” Ms Hawkins said.

“The objective is that residents would only reside in the unit for short period of time until the specialist support and care they receive will enable them to transition into a general aged care setting after that period, whether that be at St Martin’s or another nearby home.

“We know there is a growing need for specialist dementia care in Australia and that units like these will be important assets in our local community.”

Ms Hawkins said the unit would incorporate eight beds, plus an additional ‘bounce back’ bed, to accommodate people who may need to be readmitted if their transition out is not successful.

Residents are admitted to the unit via a specialised referral pathway through Dementia Support Australia.

For more information please contact Kate Hawkins at khawkins@anglicaresq.org.au.