Recognising the need for a respite service which provides real support and reassurance for carers of people with dementia, Brotherhood of St Laurence Aged Services devised the Short Break Stay program at the Banksia Community Respite Centre. There is clear evidence that the program, which provides a three-day stay for people with advanced dementia in...

This paper is part of a series that attempts to re-position the perceptions and contributions of older people in contemporary Australian society. The world is undergoing a profound demographic shift, with almost every nation state experiencing population ageing on a scale that is unprecedented. This means that we have to search for new models by...

Caring for Carers (C4C) was initiated by the Brotherhood of St Laurence in 2009 as a pilot program to assist people caring for someone with dementia in the community. It provided carers with training and follow-up support, delivered by project workers experienced in community dementia care. Over three phases it developed into a personalised program...

This study examined what the Brotherhood’s aged service users value in life, what enables them to live meaningful lives and what the services can contribute to this. The capability approach is used as a conceptual framework in which to consider a new model of aged services which will affirm older adults’ human rights and capabilities...

This research report examines, from the perspective of the Brotherhood’s aged service users, what they value in life, what enables them to live fulfilled and meaningful lives, and what Brotherhood aged services can contribute to this. With its accent on freedoms, opportunities and human rights, the capability approach provides a conceptual framework in which to...