Global Community Resourcing is excited to announce the successful completion of the Central Queensland University-led project, the Caring for Carers of People with Dementia Project (CCPWD) in September 2019.
The CCPWD was a nation-wide project that focused on caring for carers of people with dementia who do not have access to support services such as those living in rural and remote areas. The project provided a free 6-week videoconferencing virtual support group for participants, where members could discuss their fears and concerns with others in similar situations.
The CCPWD has been funded by the Australian Department of Health and Aged Care Services Fund: Research and Innovation Grants, Grant Opportunity 1: Support for existing and emerging challenges in dementia. The DACS Fund was created by the Australian Government to improve the aged care sector responses to challenges of aged care reforms.
Throughout the duration of the project, the team visited locations all around Queensland including Hervey Bay, Rockhampton, Mackay, Longreach, Roma and more. The team conducted events targeted at carers, community members and service providers, while also meeting with providers in each region. We thank everyone who attended events and meetings over the past year and a half of events!
We are pleased to report a variety of results from this important project including:
Many carers found the virtual, videoconferencing aspect of the project useful, despite not being a face-to-face group;
Less than half (39%) of participants were retired, with 14% working full-time and 17% working part-time while caring for someone with dementia at the same time;
Carers who were living with the person they were caring for were more likely to experience high mental distress, lower self-efficacy and high social isolation; and
Carers became more connected to other carers and learnt new ways to care for themselves.
Thank you to the project team and all participants for contributing to the Caring for Carers of People with Dementia Project!
We would like to thank project Led Professor Lynne Parkinson for steering this project.
Look forward to showcasing this project at the ITAC Conference 2 – 3 March 2020.
Photograph [left to right]: Anne Livingstone, Dr Carrie Peterson, Dr Sonja Pedell, Dr Annie Banbury, Professor Denise Wood, Professor Lynne Parkinson, Senior Australians and Aged Care Hon Ken Wyatt AM MP, Karen Forster and Dr Steven Gordon.