Advocates share importance of meaningful engagement
Dementia Advocates Bobby Redman and Karen Glennen joined Dementia Australia staff at their All-Staff Meeting in August to discuss the importance of engaging meaningfully with people impacted by dementia.
During the past few years Dementia Advocates and staff have worked together to codesign the organisation’s Consumer Engagement Framework, A Stronger Voice Together, to reflect and improve on the wide range of engagement across the organisation.
Bobby, who is chair of the Dementia Australia Advisory Committee and was on the codesign working group, joined a panel discussion to talk about the importance of meaningful engagement.
“It’s fundamental,” she said.
“I can’t begin to describe just how empowering that (meaningful engagement) is for me as a person living with dementia and knowing that the organisation is really taking what we think on board, not just ticking the boxes.”
Karen, whose husband Kerin is living with dementia, said the principles of meaningful engagement could be applied across Dementia Australia, not just client-facing roles.
“It’s about the voices and knowledge of people living with dementia being as valued and central as people who are in a paid position within an organisation.”
Four Dementia Australia staff members joined Bobby and Karen on the panel to describe how they had implemented the ALICE principles. ALICE are the guiding principles for the way we work with Dementia Advocates and Dementia Australia clients.
The five principles that make up ALICE are:
- Authentic
- Living experience
- Inclusive
- Collaborative
- Empowering
Find A Stronger Voice Together framework on the Dementia Australia website.
Photo (L-R): Kaele Stokes, Executive Director Advocacy, Research and Services, Dementia Australia, Colleen Harvey-Latham, Team Leader, Client Services, Dementia Australia, Jacinta Archer, Coordinator of Volunteers, Dementia Australia, Bobby Redman, Chair, Dementia Australia Advisory Committee, Karen Glennen, Dementia Advocate, Alice Haley, Dementia Support Specialist, Dementia Australia, and Garrie OToole, National Consultancy Lead, Centre for Dementia Learning, Dementia Australia.