Agenda

Tanya Critchlow, Executive Manager Nursing and Clinical Governance, Uniting

• Learn how the government’s new National Dementia Action Plan aims to improve early diagnosis, enhance care quality, and strengthen workforce training across residential aged care

• How will the National Dementia Action Plan (mid-2025) and the November Aged Care Act reforms improve person-centred dementia care and resident protections?

Emily Harper, First Assistant Secretary, Market and Workforce Division – Ageing and Aged Care Group, Commonwealth Department of Health and Aged Care

• Are we truly treating the person - or simply managing behaviours through medication? What are the risks of high polypharmacy for people with cognitive decline?

• Learn best-practice approaches to reduce overmedication and improve dementia-related symptom management

Simon Pedzisi, Head of Dementia Care, Opal

• Techniques to detect subtle changes in speech, such as reduced complexity and slower speech rate, which may serve as early indicators of cognitive decline

• Effective and accessible supplementing traditional neuropsychological tests and aiding in the diagnosis of complex dementia presentations

Dr. Adam Vogel, Professor, Centre for Neuroscience of Speech, The University of Melbourne

• How are rapid technological advancements opening up the way for digital and blood-based biomarker use in prevention, tracking interventions, and informing clinical practice?

• Gain insight into findings from ISLAND (Island Study Linking Ageing and Neurodegenerative Disease), a large-scale longitudinal public health initiative in Tasmania, and how these inform our understanding of dementia detection and prevention strategies

Dr Eddy Roccati, Research Fellow, Wicking Dementia Research and Education Centre, University of Tasmania

• Gain insight into the latest research on Lewy body dementia, including its distinct clinical features and how it differs from other neurodegenerative conditions

• Understand how and why it differs from other dementias, and why it is important to recognise

• Explore best practices for diagnosis and management, focusing on management of key symptoms to optimise quality of life through tailored care approaches

Professor John O'Brien, Head of Old Age Psychiatry Research Group & Honorary Consultant, University of Cambridge

• Explore the typical stages and symptoms of Alzheimer’s disease and how they manifest in residential aged care

• Learn care adaptations that respond to cognitive decline, memory loss, and personality changes – while encouraging autonomy and emotional connection

Dr. Paul Yates, Clinical Associate Professor, University of Melbourne

• Understand how strokes and cardiovascular health contribute to vascular dementia – and how its progression differs from Alzheimer’s

• Discuss practical care strategies for managing fluctuating cognition, emotional lability, and mobility-related challenges

Dr. Perminder Sachdev, Professor of Neuropsychiatry, UNSW

• As residents with dementia lose verbal abilities, their unmet needs (ex.; pain or discomfort) are often expressed through behaviour. Without adequate education, staff may misinterpret these signs, leading to distress for both residents and teams

• Learn why understanding neurological changes is critical to anticipate needs, reduce stigma, and deliver truly person-centred, compassionate care

Cathy Strachan, Dementia & Palliative Care CNC, Whiddon

• Explore how co-designed tools and training programs can build dementia-capable workforces, improving confidence and care quality across aged care settings.

• Learn how continuous learning models, such as Tell TiNA, support providers to embed best practice dementia care into daily routines and meet new aged care standards

Dr Kaele Stokes, Executive Director, Services, Advocacy and Research, Dementia Australia

• Sleep disturbances in residents with dementia can lead to increased distress, and behavioural symptoms, while affecting the entire unit. How can better design, routines, and staff awareness support restful nights?

• Learn best practices of personalised sleep routines, pain management, adjusting temperature and lighting, and calming techniques to improve sleep quality, reduce night-time incidents, create a better care environment

Dr Eleni Kavaliotis, Research Fellow in the Sleep, Cognition, and Mood Laboratory, Monash University

• Language shapes perception, which influences behaviors, which then become the culture, reflecting the importance of the words the workforce uses on a daily basis

• What if so-called “challenging behaviours” are simply expressions of unmet needs?

• Learn how language reframing can improve empathy, care quality, and team culture in dementia support

Moderator: Esther Westra, Executive Services, Southern Cross Care (SA, NT & Vic)

Jillian Kidd, National Manager – Behavior and Wellbeing Support, Regis Aged Care

Jacqueline Wesson, Senior Lecturer Discipline of Occupational Therapy, Sydney School of Health Sciences Faculty of Medicine & Health

Jenny Houston, Dementia and Behaviour Support Specialist, Uniting

Tanya Critchlow, Executive Manager Nursing and Clinical Governance, Uniting