As part of its campaign to raise awareness about dementia, Just Better Care (JBC) has launched a radio advertisement to be run on selected stations in both metropolitan and regional areas.

The campaign also encompasses an electronic booklet with general information about dementia, which can be downloaded from the website.

JBC’s chief executive officer Trish Noakes, said a recent survey of the company’s 30 offices uncovered dementia was the number one health issue of concern for customers receiving in-home support.

“Dementia followed by memory loss, mobility issues, frailty and mental health and depression were the issues identified as major health concerns for our customers.

“Dementia and its effects on the elderly and our society in general are huge and often devastating for individuals and families everywhere,” she added.

As the number of dementia sufferers continues to rise, Noakes said there is an increased need for support workers to care for them.   

“Our support workers are increasingly dealing with customers who have dementia and require multiple levels of care and have identified continuity of care as the number one strategy needed to help these people stay in their own homes for as long as possible.

“With the number of people diagnosed with dementia continuing to rise at significant rates, and people choosing to stay at home for as long as possible as they grow older, the importance of support workers and good caring strategies is crucial,” Noakes said. 

JBC’s support workers found the most noticeable symptoms of dementia were forgetfulness, disorientation, lack of attention span, depression and anger.