When Dementia Support Australia consultant Kathleen arrived at a Sunshine Coast care home, her brief was to support residents who were isolated or anxious primarily due to lockdowns brought about by the COVID-19 pandemic.

Kathleen: I met this gentleman who was isolating in his room, something that had started during COVID. He would tell me stories about driving trains, some really lovely stories. But each day he would also tell me a really sad story about how a child had been killed by a train. I wanted to turn this negative memory into something that brought joy, something he could look at, as opposed to going back to his long-term memory and reliving something sad from the past.

As part of the Dementia Engagement Modelling Program delivered by Dementia Support Australia, Kathleen approached the Sunshine Coast Model Railway Men's Club to create a model railway of Nambour.

Kathleen: During the nine months that the railway took to build, the resident I supported started to come out of his room to check the progress, he was no longer isolating. The completed railway, with the Nambour shops, golf course, and of course the railway line, is now an asset all Estia Nambour residents enjoy.

Lifestyle Coordinator Wendy: I had no idea the model railway would be the glue that brought residents, staff and the community of Nambour together. It’s a lovely place for residents to come and share their memories. Residents who are unsettled will calm down when they hear the familiar noise of the trains.

Dementia Support Australia is a free service funded by the Australian Government and led by HammondCare. We work with the person with dementia, and provide carers and care networks in a range of settings with the tools to better understand the causes of changes in behaviour that may impact care.