Oral Presentation Australian and New Zealand Society for Geriatric Medicine Annual Scientific Meeting 2025

Improving access to dementia rehabilitation using a co-design approach (119832)

Catherine Devanny 1 2 , Natasha Layton 2 3 , Keith Hill 2 3 , Kate Swaffer 4 , Grant Russell 5 , Lee-Fay Low 6 , Den-Ching A Lee 2 3 , Monica Cations 7 , Helen Skouteris 8 , Claire M C O'Connor 9 10 11 , Marianne Piano 2 , Taya A Collyer 2 , Barbara Barbosa Neves 12 , Nadine E Andrew 2 , Terry Haines 2 13 , Velandai K Srikanth 2 14 , Alan Petersen 15 , Michele L Callisaya 2 16
  1. National Centre for Healthy Ageing, Melbourne, VIC, Australia
  2. Peninsula Clinical School, School of Translational Medicine, Monash University, Melbourne, VIC, Australia
  3. Rehabilitation Ageing and Independent Living (RAIL) Research Centre, Monash University, Melbourne, VIC, Australia
  4. University of South Australia, Adelaide, SA, Australia
  5. Department of General Practice, School of Public Health and Preventive Medicine, Monash University, Melbourne, VIC, Australia
  6. Faculty of Medicine and Health, University of Sydney, Sydney, NSW, Australia
  7. College of Education, Psychology and Social Work, Flinders University, Adelaide, SA, Australia
  8. Health and Social Care Unit, School of Public Health and Preventive Medicine, Monash University, Melbourne, VIC, Australia
  9. School of Psychology, University of New South Wales, Sydney, NSW, Australia
  10. Centre for Positive Ageing, HammondCare, Sydney, NSW, Australia
  11. Neuroscience Research Australia, Sydney, NSW, Australia
  12. Sydney Centre for Healthy Societies, University of Sydney, Sydney, NSW, Australia
  13. School of Public and Allied Health Care, Monash University, Melbourne, VIC, Australia
  14. Peninsula Health, Melbourne, VIC, Australia
  15. Sociology, School of Social Sciences, Monash University, Melbourne, VIC, Australia
  16. Menzies Institute for Medical Research, Hobart, TAS, Australia

Aims: To explore barriers to accessing rehabilitation services for people living with dementia and their care partners, and identify solutions that improve access.

 

Methods: Four co-design workshops were undertaken, involving people with dementia and their care partners (n = 13), geriatricians, primary care practitioners, policy-makers from dementia support organisations, and allied health professionals, including representatives from peak bodies (n = 13). Solutions to improve access to dementia rehabilitation were developed through co-design:

  • An information brochure, to use as a conversation-starter with medical professionals,
  • Training for GPs, through Dementia Training Australia,
  • Online introductory course for allied health and dementia care professionals, with an attached community of practice to share learning.

The final community of practice meeting invited members to share system/service-level changes made, to support access to dementia rehabilitation.

 

Results: Including information about stigma and advocacy in training empowered allied health and dementia care professionals to support access to dementia rehabilitation. Examples of change arising from this work included:

  • Allied health professionals revising service eligibility criteria and strengthening partnerships with CDAMS, subsequently receiving more referrals from geriatricians.
  • A ‘one stop shop’ interdisciplinary dementia rehabilitation service, set up to receive referrals from general practitioners.

 

Conclusions: Adopting a co-design approach enabled barriers to accessing dementia rehabilitation to be viewed from different perspectives, facilitating a multi-level approach to change. Providing multidisciplinary training in dementia rehabilitation increased awareness of the value of and right to rehabilitation for people with dementia. This helps people with dementia access timely, comprehensive rehabilitation.