DEMENTIA SA Services
Community and Professional support:
- Capacity development and community development through awareness raising, training, support groups, skills development, family counseling, support groups, advocacy (influencing those in power to take up a cause for the greater good of the citizens)
- Support Groups: It is the objective of Dementia SA that all care givers and people with Dementia have a strong support network with access to reliable resources. Dementia SA convenes a number of Dementia/Alzheimer support groups designed to help those with family members afflicted with these conditions. The groups are focussed on sharing coping techniques, management and other strategies for caring for someone with memory loss.
- Public Awareness Programme: Community awareness talks are requested by community groups, HIV and AIDS organisations, women’s organisations, social workers, care givers, nurses and medical staff. Dementia SA participates in community events, in partnership with the Department of Social Development and other community organisations.
- Skills development: Dementia SA holds an Annual International Learning and Sharing Conference with is accredited with Continued Professional Development points (CPD) required by medical and other allied health care professionals to maintain their professional status. Included are home-based carers and community development workers, social workers and social auxiliary workers, ancillary health care workers, nursing assistants, community workers of the Departments of Health and Social Development.
- Family counseling: Dementia SA’s core support services rendered by the organisation includes family counseling, family mediation, face-to-face counseling, remote counseling via Skype, tele and email counseling and referral to appropriate services as required.
- Advocacy: Foundation services including advocacy and lobbying comment on National Policy, for example, the National Health Insurance (NHI) and extensive input into the Older Person’s ACT (number 13 of 2006).
Formal Training:
- Introduction to Dementia Training: (accredited and developed in conjunction with Dementia SA for South African conditions with Dementia UK) for home based carers, community workers and residential care facilities.
- Development of Health and Welfare Seta accredited training material which serves to train home based carers and all other category of health professionals.
- Specialised training for Magistrates, staff at the office of the Master of the Supreme Court, members of the SA Police Service and other key staff members of community institutions dealing with the elderly.
Specialised Activities:
- The internationally recognised Learning and Sharing Conference on Person Centered Care and latest trends in dementia is a 2 day symposium that includes international specialists and accommodates 200 people.
- Research: Dementia SA is committed to undertake research on the rights of older persons in South Africa and their ability to exercise their choice of how they wish to live out their lives.
Awareness Campaign:
M&C Saatchi Abel have created a Facebook application for Dementia SA to give people an insight into what it feels like to have this debilitating disease.
Please visit www.remembermenot.com
We look forward to your feedback.
