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The Rights of People with Dementia and Advocacy Project is an innovative early intervention pilot project designed to assist people with memory loss and dementia maintain decision making control over their lives. This is achieved by providing clients with a professional advocate who acts as a guide in planning for the future and in navigating the often complex care system providing information, support and advocacy when needed.
The project operates in southern Tasmania and incorporates rural and metropolitan communities. The project operates an outreach service that prioritises people in the early stages of dementia who live on their own and have no carer/family or limited contact with family.
The project employs one full-time advocate.
The Advocate can assist people in a number of ways including:
 Enabling the client to plan for the future through information and advice regarding powers of attorney, enduring guardianship, advanced care directives etc.
Providing information and referral for community care and support services, including those of the partner organisation Alzheimer’s Australia Tasmania, HACC, CACPs, EACH, respite and other community care providers.
Maximising client involvement throughout assessment processes e.g. ACAT assessments, memory clinics, psycho-geriatric assessments.
Ensuring client voice is heard through transitions, such as from home to/from acute care and from home or acute care to residential care.
Advocating on behalf of the client on any issues which arise in the course of their relationship with service providers – community, acute, residential and others.
Sector improvement and planning stimulated by learning from the project and the project’s Reference Group.
Providing community education on the rights of people with memory loss and dementia to a range of stakeholders including care providers, other service providers (e.g. housing, welfare, financial) and community organisations.
The project will run from October 2006 until the end of March 2008. At the end of the project existing clients will be linked to one of Advocacy Tasmania’s other advocacy programs and/or other services and supports will be put in place.
Advocacy Tasmania Incorporated operates the project in partnership with Alzheimer’s Australia Tasmania. The project is an Australian Government Initiative funded with a Dementia Service Development Grant through the Dementia Community Grants Program, Department of Health and Ageing.
Useful Links and Publications
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