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A stomal therapist in Kenya
Australian nurse heads to Africa to train nurses amid danger .
Three years ago , a call went out for stomal therapy nurses from Australia to help implement a new training program in Kenya , and Trish Griffin was one of the people who answered .
The call came from Elizabeth English , from the Royal Adelaide Hospital , on behalf of staff from the Aga Khan University
Hospital in Nairobi . English was looking for nurses to help get the Kenyan Stoma , Wound and Continence Nurse Specialist training program off the ground .
Griffin , who is a stomal therapy nurse with the Royal District Nursing Service ( RDNS ) and has since been visiting the country during her annual leave time each year , said she didn ’ t know what to expect when she and her fellow nurses first left for Kenya .
The team landed in Nairobi just two months after 67 people were killed during an attack by an extremist group on the local shopping mall .
Griffin said the tragedy was a salient reminder that there was not only a clear and present danger , but also a clear , present and ongoing need for help .
“ You know that there ’ s danger there ,” Griffin said . “ You know that there ’ s going to be different obstacles but the reality is that it ’ s real – it ’ s in front of you – you ’ re seeing people that have been shot ; that have been spared ; that have had cancer that hasn ’ t be diagnosed , so it ’ s got to the point that it ’ s actually erupting out of their bodies because they didn ’ t have access to pre-screening or chemotherapy ; you ’ ve got children with the most horrific burns , burns that you just cannot imagine that they would survive ; and even injuries and wounds that here you wouldn ’ t think people could live through .” ■
Build a dementia-friendly council
Alzheimer ’ s Australia has advice for developing supportive , inclusive communities .
Take small steps to embed dementia-friendly principles into council functions , find champions and consult with members of the community who have dementia and their families and carers .
These are just some of the tips from Alzheimer ’ s Australia Vic ’ s new toolkit that aims to help councils make their local community more dementia-friendly .
The resource , Creating Dementiafriendly Communities : A Toolkit for Local Government , provides resources and guidance for building on existing infrastructure , systems and services .
In the toolkit , Guy Walter from Macedon Ranges Shire Council states : “ Councils need to know how they can build on what they already have to ensure they can support dementia-friendly initiatives across their communities .”
Alzheimer ’ s Australia Vic general manager of learning and development , Dr David Sykes , said local councils are ideally placed to ensure that communities are vibrant , inclusive and supportive of all citizens , including people living with dementia .
Sykes said : “ We are keen for the toolkit to help council staff to understand that in partnership with people living with dementia they can become more dementia-friendly without having a big budget to work with .”
The toolkit was launched by UK dementia expert Philly Hare , program manager at UK social policy research charity Joseph Rowntree Foundation , who led their ‘ Dementia without Walls ’ program , which examines how the UK can be improved for people with dementia .
Hare said everyone has a part to play in ensuring people with dementia remain connected in their local community but added the role of local governments is particularly significant because they deliver services , build infrastructure and set policies that have a direct impact on how the community operates .
“ I ’ m really pleased that the toolkit stresses to councils the importance of working with people with dementia to identify ways they can become more dementia-friendly , as these direct insights are invaluable and help to ensure any changes made do meet their needs ,” Hare said . ■
10 agedcareinsite . com . au