Filipino-Specific Dementia Support in Australia
Australian-Filipino Community Services (AFCS) provides Filipino-specific programs and services to support Filipinos living with dementia and their carers
The following programs and services we provide are funded by the Federal Government under the Department of Health and Age Care.
Maharlika Lodge
Maharlika Lodge is our respite house where we deliver the Maharlika Lodge Overnight Respite for Filipinos Living with Dementia and their Carers program. This three-year program (2023-2026) is an innovative program and model of respite care and planning for people with dementia and their carers. The program is funded under the Improving Respite Care for People with Dementia and their Carers grant.
>> Improving respite care for people living with dementia and their carers
Reminiscing Garden
The unique community garden offers a safe and happy space for people living with dementia. This is a partnership with the local Samoan community supported by Dementia Australia’s Friendly Communities Initiative. Both communities plant and harvest taro plants, cook their leaves and produce which give them oppportunities to share their food stories growing up in Samoa and Philippines.
Social Activities
AFCS delivers group social support activities engaging Filipino seniors living with dementia through music, dance, table games, crafts and gentle exercise. We also provide individual support through friendly home visits, welfare checks, follow-up social calls, and accompanying seniors in their shopping and medical appointments.
Screening and Referrals
AFCS offers memory screenings and referrals for further assessments to specialist geriatric clinics that are linguistically and culturally appropriate. We facilitate referrals to and from agencies such as My Age Care, Dementia Australia, Dementia Behaviour Management and Assessment Service, home care package providers, local hospitals, GP’s and community health centres to assist families navigate the services system for better service access. We are a recognized specialized support service provider that can tailor programs according to families and inviduals’s needs and request.
Filipino Health Professionals
We engage Filipino health professionals from the Philippines and in Australia including bi-lingual GPs, Dementia Specialist Nurses, Nutritionists, Speech Pathologists and Geriatricians that specialise in caring for people living with Dementia.
AFCS works with Dementia Society of the Philippines in utilising culturally and linguistically appropriate assessment tools and resources to support Filipinos living with Dementia and their carers in Australia.
Community Awareness
We deliver Dementia awareness campaigns and provide information sessions to community groups across Victoria, Australia. Information sessions include: understanding dementia, the different types and stages of dementia; impacts of dementia on activities of daily living, sudden behaviour changes; and information for families, carers and people living with dementia.
Dementia Awareness in the Philippines
Since 2016, we have expanded our community awareness efforts to the Philippines, engaging community groups and churches. In October 2023, we organised the first Seniors Walk ‘Healthy Brain, Healty Life!’ at Quezon City Memorial Circle during the National Elderly Week, in partnership with the Australia Embassy, Quezon City Government, and the Commission on Filipinos Overseas. The event was a successful collaboration with Australian and Philippine Organisations and Governments. More than 500 participants received the Healthy Brain, Healthy Life dementia risk reduction resources booklet published by Dementia Australia.
