Dementia Behaviour Support

Understanding and Supporting Someone Living with Dementia

Dementia presents significant challenges for both individuals and their carers. Behavioural changes, episodes of distress, and uncertainty around how to respond can place considerable strain on families.

Our Dementia Behaviour Support service is here to help make sense of what’s happening and put practical, compassionate strategies in place; so that the person you care about can feel safer, calmer, and more like themselves.

What is this service?

This is an Occupational Therapy-led service, meaning every assessment and recommendation comes from a qualified Occupational Therapist with expertise in dementia care. It’s available for people living in a Residential Aged Care Facility, under a Support at Home program, as well as those living at home with no formal support.

Is this service right for your situation?

Consider reaching out if the person you support is experiencing any of the following:

• Wandering or repeatedly trying to leave the home
• Restlessness or an inability to settle
• Calling out, yelling, or repetitive questioning
• Frequent distress, anxiety, or expressions of fear
• Resistance to showering, dressing, or other daily care
• Increased confusion or agitation in the late afternoon or evening (sundowning)
• Sleep disturbances or significant changes in behaviour at consistent times of day
• Withdrawal from people or activities they once enjoyed
• Carers or family members feeling unsure or overwhelmed
  
  

If any of these sound familiar, we’re here to help. You don’t need to have all the answers before reaching out.

Our approach

We base our work on the Teepa Snow Positive – Approach to Care framework.  It’s a well-respected, evidence-informed approach used around the world that changes the way we understand dementia and the way we respond to it.

Rather than focusing on what someone can no longer do, this approach looks at what they can still do, and builds around that. It helps us understand that behaviours like agitation, resistance, or distress are usually a form of communication, the person is telling us something isn’t working for them, even if they can’t put it into words.

This shapes everything we do. Our recommendations aren’t just written in a report – they’re practical, real-world strategies that family members, carers, and support workers can actually use day to day.

What does the service involve?

1. A thorough, in-person assessment: Your Occupational Therapist will visit the person in their own environment; at home or in their residential facility. This isn’t a tick-box exercise. We take time to understand the whole picture: how the person is thinking and functioning, what triggers distress, what their daily routine looks like, how they interact with the people around them, and what still brings them a sense of purpose or enjoyment.
   From this, we develop a personalised set of strategies tailored specifically to that person, not a generic plan.
   
   
2. Practical strategies for everyone involved: Our recommendations are designed to be used by the people already in that person’s life; family members, support workers, and care staff. This might include changes to the way people communicate with them, adjustments to their daily routine, simple environmental changes, or guidance on how to respond calmly when things become difficult.
   The goal is consistency, so the person experiences the same calm, supportive approach no matter who is with them.
   
   
3. A home or facility environment assessment: Sometimes the environment itself is contributing to distress or confusion. We can assess the living space, whether that’s a home or a residential facility looking at things like lighting, noise, layout, signage, and visual cues. Small, well-considered changes to an environment can make a meaningful difference to how settled and oriented someone feels.
   
   

What can this help with?

• Understanding why certain behaviours are happening
• Reducing distress, agitation, and moments of escalation
• Helping carers and family members feel more confident and less stressed
• Making the home or care environment work better for the person
• Supporting a calmer, more consistent experience day to day
  
  

Why an Occupational Therapist?

Occupational therapists are uniquely trained to look at the whole person, their abilities, their environment, and their daily life and find practical ways to support function and wellbeing. When it comes to dementia, this makes a real difference. Our OTs bring both clinical expertise and a genuine understanding of what it’s like to live with or care for someone with dementia.

Who is this service for?

This service is suitable for people living with dementia at home or in residential aged care, as well as their families and care teams. If you’re not sure whether it’s right for your situation, we’re happy to have a conversation.