‘Bigger Hearts’ Film Released to Call for Locals to Get Behind a Dementia-Friendly Ballarat

As part of the Bigger Hearts project launched in September in Ballarat, a film has been released that has captured moving, warm and sometimes funny moments at a gathering between people living with dementia and our community.

Local campaigners and Bigger Hearts Project Directors Edie Mayhew and Anne Tudor launched the Bigger Hearts Project to encourage the community to start thinking about how they can make their environment dementia-friendly and more welcoming for people living with a cognitive impairment.

“The community of Ballarat has totally taken Bigger Hearts to heart. We’ve been delighted by the response to the campaign so far and we are looking forward to sharing more as we progress,” Edie, aged 65 and living with dementia said.

The film explores the interaction between seven people living with dementia who shared their stories and dementia experiences with seven community members they called the ‘Story Catchers’.

The conversations were filmed to demonstrate to community members the importance of valuing the expertise of people living with dementia as well as the importance of human connection.

Janine Walker, Story Catcher and Leading Senior Constable Ballarat Police Proactive Unit said, "I was honoured to be part of the Bigger Hearts gatherings and am really proud of our Ballarat community banding together to break down the stigma around dementia."

“There is no reason why people with dementia can’t be included in all sorts of activities and events in our community. I especially enjoyed listening to the stories and learning about the lives of the people I met, beyond the fact that they are living with dementia,” Leading Senior Constable Walker said.

Edie and Anne are hoping the Bigger Hearts film will help by breaking down the stigma, recognising the expertise and experiences of people living with dementia and by showing Story Catchers reflecting on how they enjoyed conversations with people with dementia.

The film will be offered as an educational resource for families, communities and services to show the importance of listening to people living with dementia.

“We think this film is unique in our approach to showing Australians how to reach out and talk to someone with dementia,” Edie and Anne said.

Dr Catherine Barrett, Director Celebrate and Bigger Hearts Project Coordinator said there are an estimated 2,584 people living with dementia in Ballarat and this is projected to increase to 10,610 by 2050.

“A recent report by Alzheimer’s Australia identified that with community support people living with dementia can continue doing many of the things they did before they were diagnosed with dementia.

“However, research by Alzheimer’s Australia has also shown that people with dementia are twice as likely not to see friends and twice as likely to experience loneliness.

“The stigma of dementia means some community members don’t know how to respond to someone living with dementia and those living with dementia then miss important human connection and support service.

“These figures are compelling and we need to act now to prepare our community to think about how everyone can help to make a difference,” Dr Barrett said.

 The Bigger Hearts film can be viewed below: 

To get involved and find out how you can help create a dementia-friendly Ballarat email director@celebrateageing.com, call 0429 582 237 or visit www.celebrateageing.com/bigger-hearts

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