Our Dementia-Friendly Journey: It’s Time to Talk About Dementia

The first story in our ongoing Dementia-Friendly Journey series, following The Tradies as we listen, learn and take practical steps towards becoming a more dementia-friendly organisation.

Sometimes, making a community more welcoming starts with something simple: a conversation. That was at the heart of this year’s Dementia Action Week theme, “It’s Time to Talk About Dementia” - and it’s a conversation we’re proud to be part of here at The Dickson Tradies.

During Dementia Action Week, The Tradies hosted a breakfast in partnership with the Canberra Dementia Alliance, bringing together people with lived experience, along with voices from business, research, tourism and the dementia sector. The morning was about sharing perspectives, starting conversations and exploring practical ways we can all help create a more dementia-friendly Canberra. For us, the breakfast was also an opportunity to think about the role a community club like ours can play.

Starting the conversation at home

That conversation is now continuing within our own team. A group of Tradies staff have volunteered to be part of a working group exploring how we can become more dementia friendly. Staff are also being given the opportunity to become a Dementia Friend through online training. These are practical first steps in building greater awareness and understanding across our team, while helping us think more carefully about how we welcome and support people living with dementia.

That includes asking some important questions. How can we make it easier for someone living with dementia to feel comfortable when they visit? How can our staff feel more confident when offering assistance? Are there small changes to our spaces, signage, communication or service that could make someone’s experience a little easier?

We don’t expect to have all the answers straight away. What matters is that we’re listening, learning and starting the conversation.

We’d like to hear from you

An important part of this work is hearing from the people who know our community best. We’re inviting our members and wider community to take part in our Accessibility and Inclusion Survey. The survey will help us better understand people’s experiences, perspectives and ideas around accessibility and inclusion, including how we can make The Tradies a more welcoming and supportive place for people living with dementia.

Whether you’re living with dementia, supporting someone who is, have personal experience through family or friends, or simply have ideas about how we can improve accessibility and inclusion at the club, we’d love to hear from you.

Take our Accessibility and Inclusion Survey

The feedback we receive will help our staff working group better understand what matters to our community and where we can focus our efforts.

A place where everyone belongs

Community clubs have always been places where people come together. For generations, The Tradies has been somewhere to catch up with friends, enjoy a meal, watch the footy and feel part of something. As our community changes, we want to keep thinking about how that sense of belonging can extend to everyone - including people living with dementia and the people who support them.

Sometimes, becoming more dementia friendly can be found in the everyday things: patience, kindness, clear communication, welcoming spaces and taking the time to understand that someone may experience the world a little differently.

Our Dementia-Friendly Journey

This article marks the beginning of an ongoing conversation at The Tradies. As our work progresses, we’ll continue to share what we’re learning, the feedback we’re hearing and the practical steps we’re taking towards becoming a more dementia-friendly organisation. Future stories in Our Dementia-Friendly Journey may explore how we support our staff, what we learn from people with lived experience, improvements to our spaces and communication, and the partnerships helping us along the way.

It’s important to us that this journey is shaped by the community around us. We want to listen first, learn as we go and make changes that are meaningful, practical and genuinely helpful.

For The Tradies, this is just the beginning. Have your say, share your experience and help us take the next steps together.