General News
12 March, 2025
Cooee Lodge dementia workshop
Cooee Lodge hosted a series of dementia treatment workshops, delivered by Kate Hillyar from Dementia Training Australia.
Three workshops were held with staff from Cooee Lodge, Jack Towney Hostel, and Orana Living. These workshops were “extremely well received” according to Gilgandra Lifestyle’s Dianne Thomas, in part because a lot of staff training happens offsite.
“A lot of our [usual] training is done offsite, so someone coming onsite to educate is very appreciated,” said Mrs Thomas.
Cooee Lodge applied for the dementia workshops some time ago to help staff care for patients living with dementia and had to wait due to their high demand.
“Kate [came] from Western Australia for a three-day workshop… she has verified a lot of the practices we’ve been putting into place,” she said.
“It’s about knowing what’s best practice and knowing up-to-date strategies to care for someone living with [dementia].”
Patients suffering from the condition face adverse conditions in their life including changed behaviour, confusion, mood swings, and memory loss.
“What challenges do patients face? Someone with dementia… it’s harder for them to tell their story,” said Mrs Thomas.
“To look after someone we need to know their story, so we use their family and their history to piece it together.
“We try to look at their abilities now and not look at their disabilities.
“We live in a really lovely community that lets people freely move around,” Mrs Thomas said.
The purpose of these workshops was to give staff the skills and confidence to look after residents living with dementia.
The majority of Cooee Lodge staff were present for this training, including non-nursing staff.
Cooee Lodge and Jack Towney Hostel are both planning on hosting more on-site training sessions throughout the year.
