news
Gate now open for
dementia-friendly travel
Australian airport approved
for people with dementia
and their carers.
A
ustralia has its first dementia-
friendly airport thanks to a
collaboration between staff,
researchers and dementia advocates.
Alzheimer’s Australia gave its tick of
approval to Brisbane Airport at the recent
launch of a new guide to its terminals for
travellers with dementia.
Ensuring a Smooth Journey: A Guide
to Brisbane Airport for People Living with
Dementia and their Travel Companions is
a step-by-step guide that aims to make the
experience of navigating through Brisbane
Airport’s domestic and international
terminals as simple, stress free and
enjoyable as possible.
Maree McCabe, chief executive of
Alzheimer’s Australia, said it is essential that
Australia sees more environments that help
people living with dementia to continue
engaging with the community and the
activities that are important to them.
The airport guide was prepared by the
QUT-based Dementia Centre for Research
Collaboration: Carers and Consumers
(DCRC-CC) in partnership with dementia
advocates and Brisbane Airport Corporation.
Professor Elizabeth Beattie, director of the
DCRC-CC, said air travel can be incredibly
stressful for anyone but may be even more
so for people with dementia and their carers.
“A previous DCRC-CC study found the
most challenging part of air travel for people
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with dementia was managing at the airport,”
Beattie said.
“Some of the best advice comes from
people who have dementia and those
who travel with them. They suggest, for
example, that you find an airline and stick
to them, keep hand luggage to a minimum,
always be early and book flights at the
quieter times.”
The guide identifies the international
dementia-friendly symbols and takes
users through the different airport zones,
outlining what to expect in the bag
screening area, duty free regulations,
customs, quarantine, transfers and
immigration.
The project team used the Dementia
Friendly Communities Environmental
Assessment Tool to determine whether
Brisbane Airport’s terminals were dementia-
friendly and found the clear and concise
signage from the carpark through the
boarding gate helped the airport score well.
Beattie said the team now hopes the
guide and staff training material take off
and are adapted for use in other airports in
Australia and worldwide. ■
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