Let's CHAT Dementia in Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Communities
The Let's CHAT (Community Health Approaches To) Dementia in Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Communities is a research project working with 12 Aboriginal Community Controlled Health Services (ACCHSs) around Australia to improve detection of cognitive impairment and dementia, as well as dementia care and brain health in the primary care context.
This is a co-design project working with ACCHS staff and a range of stakeholders in the area of Indigenous health and aged care to enhance the overall health outcomes and quality of life of older people who have cognitive impairment or dementia, their families and communities.
The project's Indigenous Reference Group advises on data collection activities, resource development and the implementation of the best-practice model of care that is being developed as part of this project and rolled out in the health services of our co-researching ACCHS partners.
The project is currently underway, with 12 co-researching partner ACCHSs located across urban, regional and remote areas of Victoria, NSW, North Queensland and Western Australia.
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Research Staff
Let's CHAT Dementia brings together a large team of research staff and students working in the area of Indigenous dementia research from academic institutions around Australia and internationally.
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Indigenous Reference Group
The Indigenous Reference Group (IRG) is made up of Indigenous community members and experienced researchers, and ensures that the values and practices of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander older people, their families and communities are upheld in the project.
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ACCHSs and institutional affiliations
Twelve Aboriginal Community-Controlled Health Services (ACCHSs) and five academic institutions are partnering on the project across four states to help improve dementia care and brain health in their local communities.
Let's CHAT Dementia Project Publications
Bradley, K., Smith, R., Hughson, J. et al. Let’s CHAT (community health approaches to) dementia in Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities: protocol for a stepped wedge cluster randomised controlled trial. BMC Health Serv Res 20, 208 (2020). https://doi.org/10.1186/s12913-020-4985-1
Related Publications
For additional publications relating to cognitive impairment and dementia in Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Australian populations, refer to Let's CHAT Dementia lead investigator A/Prof Dina LoGiudice's page.
Let's CHAT Dementia Newsletters
The Let's CHAT Dementia project group publishes newsletters to update our community with news from the research team, community members, research findings and feedback on how the project is progressing.
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Project Resources
Resources developed as part of the Let's CHAT Dementia project. These resources have been designed for health professionals working in Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander primary care.
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KICA tools
Kimberley Indigenous Cognitive Assessment tools for healthcare workers. Available tools include the KICA-Cog, KICA-Screen, KICA-Carer and KICA-Depression.
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Community Resources
Information about dementia and brain health for the community
If you have any queries or would like to get in touch, please contact the project manager:
Dr Jo-anne Hughson, hughson@unimelb.edu.au, M: +61 425 710 396