This project addresses a critical gap in post-diagnostic dementia support and ensures skilled workforce resources are available to a rural locality with high demand for dementia services. The Sustainable Personalised Interventions for Cognition, Care, and Engagement (SPICE) program is a comprehensive, multicomponent rehabilitation program delivered by a collaborative allied health team that enhances quality of life, independence, and well-being of people with dementia and their care partners. It contains evidence-based cognitive stimulation therapy, education, physical activity, personalised strategies, and dietary advice. SPICE is innovative as it ensures specialist workforce skills under high demand are made available to many people due to the group nature of the program. SPICE has been running since 2022 in the ACT and is funded to mid-2028, however, it is yet to be implemented beyond this region. This project aims to establish SPICE in a rural aged care setting with the addition of rehabilitative technology (Motiview) where twenty-one people from the community with dementia and their care partners will participate to access effectiveness and provide feedback.
"Receiving the ARIIA grant is a significant milestone for Harbison and the Southern Highlands community. This funding enables us to bring the SPICE program, an evidence-based dementia rehabilitation-focused model, to a rural setting for the first time. It addresses a critical gap in post-diagnostic support and ensures that specialist allied health expertise reaches the people who need it most. Through this project, we hope to deliver real improvements in quality of life, independence, and wellbeing for people living with dementia and their care partners in our region, while contributing to research to support a scalable intervention that can make a positive impact more broadly."
Harbison Memorial Retirement Village