The D CAF program at The Neighbourhood Centre is calling for those with Dementia and their carers to attend the program

Dementia is on the rise in our community, and with an aging population, the instances of dementia are only going to increase in the coming years.

This is why The Neighbourhood Centre is calling for anyone who may be suffering from the debilitating condition, or their carers, to attend the weekly program.

Service manager of The Neighbourhood Centre Therese Short, who was an integral part in developing the café, said that its aim is to support all those in the community who are affected by Dementia.

"It's about having a support network which is so important," she said.

This support network provides carers with the opportunity to liaise with those who are going through the same or similar circumstances, and share strategies as to how to handle situations that may arise.

"At times carers may go into one room to have morning tea together so they can discuss things and strategies and coping mechanisms, while volunteers ... will take those who have dementia and they play some memory game activities," Ms Short said.

Having the opportunity to discuss these strategies is something that carer Brendan Robertson has found invaluable.

"You can only be better off by associating with either other carers or other sufferers, and to be able to know their experience and how they deal with it," he said.

"I believe any place where you can get people together in a social environment, where you are able to share ideas, everyone will benefit from that experience."

For the past two-and-a-half years, Mr Robertson has been a full-time carer for his wife, something that he feels is 'very demanding.'

His duties include physically caring for his wife whenever required, which at times can be up to 24 hours a day.

As well as direct caring duties, Mr Robertson also has to ensure other day-to-day necessities are maintained.

"I provide transport for any appointments my wife has got, both medical and anything else, all of the daily domestic chores that have got to be done around the house, and look after her medication, the list is quite extensive," he said.

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The D CAF group also allows for a small amount of respite from their responsibilities, in a calming atmosphere.

"Carers can relax for a while and socialise and so can the dementia sufferers," Mr Robertson said.

In addition to attending the D CAF program to seek respite, Mr Robertson also attends the program as he feels it creates greater awareness for what is often an invisible condition.

The D CAF program is free of charge, and runs every Wednesday from 10:00 am until 12:00 pm.

Bookings for the café are essential.

The café is just part of an array of programs aimed towards ensuring Bathurst can become a dementia friendly town.

Police are introducing a Next of Kin program, which calls for the details of next of kin to be recorded at the local police station to help keep local dementia patients safe.

Dementia Australia are also presenting a training session at BMEC on Wednesday, March 1, from 2:30pm until 3:30pm.

This session will cover essential topics including the nature of dementia and its impacts.

This will be run in order to help businesses and employees develop positive strategies to assist clients or customers who may be living with dementia.

Participants must register online via the Dementia Australia website.

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