Brophy Family and Youth Services
Education
A collaborative response to youth disengagement in regional Victoria
Case Study: Alzheimer’s Australia Vic
ProjectMind Your Mind: a community dementia risk reduction program (now known as Your Brain Matters)
Amount$285,000 (total)
Date2005 and 2006
ProgramPast Programs | Health
| TRUST OBJECTIVES | PROJECT OBJECTIVES |
|---|---|
| These grants were approved under our previous grants policy | |
| Rural and regional Victoria | Create awareness of dementia prevention strategies via regional community education sessions and at regional events |
| Building organisational capacity | Build organisational knowledge of effective preventative programs and efficient delivery to broader audiences |
| Extending opportunity | Employ a variety of strategies and media to extend reach into regional, rural, CALD and Aboriginal and Torrres Strait Islander communities |
| Collaboration and partnership | Collaboration with other health organisations, Council of the Ageing Victoria and state and federal governments |
Innovative program tackles older Australians' single greatest cause of disability
Dementia is the single greatest cause of disability in Australians aged 65 years or older. HMSTrust funded a far-reaching dementia risk reduction program that was subsequently adopted nationally.
Image Simon Palomares (centre) joins Alzheimer's Australia Vic staff and students of El Patio Spanish Language School to launch BrainyApp español
- HMSTrust funding enabled Alzheimer’s Australia Vic to introduce evidence-based dementia risk reduction strategies to the Victorian community through a media campaign, promotional material in multiple languages and rural and regional roadshows and community forums across Victoria. Mind Your Mind also de-stigmatised the topic of dementia and helped focus awareness on healthy lifestyle factors to reduce risk.
- The positive response in Victoria to Mind Your Mind saw it adopted as a national program of Alzheimer’s Australia, with a widespread impact following its rollout to other states and territories.
- The program led to the very successful Your Brain Matters project and BrainyApp, the acclaimed brain exercise app which can be downloaded from Google’s Play or the Apple store free of charge. Together the English and new Spanish language editions of BrainyApp have been downloaded more than 250,000 times.
- Alzheimer’s Australia Vic was able to engage in discussions with key health agencies and governments about preventive health issues, and to link into a major federal government initiative, the Dementia Collaborative Research Centres program.
Website: www.fightdementia.org.au www.yourbrainmatters.org.au
“The generous contributions received by HMSTrust have enabled us to greatly enhance our leadership in dementia support. This valuable partnership continues to make a difference to the lives of Victorians impacted by all forms of dementia.” Maree McCabe, CEO Alzheimer’s Australia Vic
