The socially innovative intergenerational digital story telling project ‘Looking Back to The Future’ funded through the Australian Government Department of Health & Ageing with a focus on early onset dementia in the Aboriginal community. Initiated by Slippry Sirkus and delivered in partnership with Nambucca Valley Community Services Council, Living Carefully, Aboriginal Aged Care, Aboriginal Health, Local Aboriginal Land Councils and Nambucca Council . The project provided a platform to explore stories ,memories and reflection through creative process and digital media, while providing the opportunity to create contextual clues for the participants, develop new skills and explore the impact of ageing within the community. Consultatant for the project was Rachel Arkles who is embedded at NeuroScience Research Australia undertaking a PHD in in the area of Indigenous ageing and cognitive health. Her PhD entitled, "Experience and Meaning in Dementia: Aboriginal Elders in Urban Australia", addresses how dementia is experienced, explained and coped with in Indigenous families. The 'Looking Back to the Future' project was designed to engage with a broad range of elderly from the Nambucca Valley ie: elders and seniors, their families, carers and case workers , inclusive of those experiencing early onset dementia. Training in digital story telling was provided to participants, case workers, carers and young people (with an educational pathway through a collaboration with TAFE) to produce their own stories and provide technical support for some of the elderly participants while building connection between the generations. .Outcomes included a DVD of stories and information which was presented to the participants, archived in the regional libraries and made available through Aged Care service providers. An exhibition of portraits and digital stories (where Aged Care Services provided information ) was presented across Mid North Coast .communities.
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