National Dementia Essay Competition

It is often said that it is hard to attract high-calibre professionals to work in the care of people with dementia. Dementia care just isn’t considered ‘sexy’ enough. But those of us who work in this field know that, despite the frustrations, it can be deeply satisfying, and provides challenges that take all of our professional expertise to solve.

Perhaps one of the reasons so few professionals are choosing a career in the care of people with dementia is that they have never been encouraged to think about it.

The NSW/ACT Dementia Training Study Centre’s Scaffolding Project provides undergraduates in health-related disciplines with a series of encounters that will encourage them to consider what they can offer and what they can gain from a career in the care of people with dementia.

The program begins in second year when students are invited to take part in an essay competition where they can win $500 for an essay exploring how they, or their profession, can contribute to the care of people with dementia.

The next stage is the provision of work placements in a dementia care setting for third year students. The third stage is the awarding of scholarships to honours degree students researching a dementia-related topic.

So far the project has given undergraduates from 11 participating universities the opportunity to engage with the challenges and satisfaction of serving people with dementia. To encourage even more students, the essay competition will be open to undergraduates from every university in Australia. The DTSCs will launch Australia’s first National Dementia Essay Competition this September, during Alzheimer’s Australia’s Dementia Awareness Month.

The competition, supported by the Australian Journal of Dementia Care (AJDC) and Alzheimer’s Australia, will be open to all second and third year undergraduate students in Australian universities. Entries will be accepted from 1-30 September 2015.

In keeping with the theme of Dementia Awareness Month 2015 – ‘Creating a Dementia-Friendly Nation’ – the essay question asks: How can your discipline contribute to creating a dementia friendly nation? Entry details

There will be three major prizes of $2000 (first prize), $1000 (second) and $500 (third) awarded to three second year students and three third year students.

We need more bright young minds grappling with the issues surrounding the care of people with dementia. The first step is to get their attention. The DTSCs’ Australian National Dementia Essay Competition should help to achieve this.