From local education program to national dementia impact
A SPHERE-funded dementia education project that began with a focus on improving support for culturally diverse communities is now driving policy change, expanding across Western Sydney and attracting major national research funding.
Supported by a $97,580 grant from SPHERE’s Age and Ageing Clinical Theme, Dementia Friends Unite! was designed to address an important gap identified by councils, health services and community organisations: the need for culturally sensitive dementia education and stronger evidence to support its long-term adoption into policy and practice.
Led by Dr Diana Karamacoska and collaborators across academia, health services and local government, the program developed a multilingual dementia education initiative co-produced with stakeholders and people with lived and caring experiences of dementia from diverse backgrounds.
What began as a local education initiative has since grown into a program reaching hundreds of people, influencing council policies and helping build momentum for substantial follow-on research funding.
“SPHERE’s funding gave us the opportunity to build the partnerships, co-design processes and evidence base needed to demonstrate the value of culturally inclusive dementia education,” Dr Karamacoska said.
“That early support created the foundation for the program to grow far beyond its original scope.”
The program delivered three short courses focused on dementia literacy, diversity and inclusion practices, and accessible communication and environments. It exceeded expectations, reaching more than 300 participants across six language groups, more than double the number originally anticipated. Participants reported improved dementia knowledge, more positive attitudes and meaningful changes in communication, caring and support practices after engaging with the program.
Importantly, the project moved beyond education into real-world systems change.
All participating councils embedded annual delivery of the dementia education program into their Disability and Inclusion Action Plans, while Canterbury-Bankstown Council expanded dementia education and training commitments within its Positive Ageing Plan. The Canterbury-Bankstown Dementia Alliance also incorporated the initiative into its Action Plan, helping ensure its sustainability beyond the original funding period.
The project has also built workforce capability, training seven facilitators to deliver the program in community settings, with more than half continuing to run sessions independently after the project concluded.
Like many community-focused initiatives, the team encountered challenges along the way. Early translation services produced materials that were considered culturally inappropriate or difficult to understand by bilingual carers and researchers. Rather than compromise accessibility, the team worked directly with multilingual carers and researchers to revise materials and ensure they were culturally meaningful for participating communities.
The impact of the project has extended well beyond the original program. Since receiving SPHERE funding, the team has secured additional grants to expand the initiative into Liverpool and Fairfield and has attracted substantial competitive funding to broaden its dementia research agenda.
This includes a successful NHMRC grant worth more than $418,000 to transform dementia prevention initiatives for culturally and linguistically diverse older Australians, and a $900,000 MRFF grant. Additional support from Dementia Australia and community organisations has further expanded the reach of the work, alongside US$25,000 from the Alzheimer’s Association International Society to Advance Alzheimer’s Research and Treatment (ISTAART) to deliver a conference on co-design and inclusive dementia research in February 2026.
The program has also generated broader research and workforce outcomes, supporting completed Honours and Masters projects, a PhD thesis, conference presentations in Australia, Europe and the United States, and a Western Sydney University Research Impact award.
Dr Karamacoska said the project demonstrates the importance of investing early in community-driven, culturally inclusive research.
“Through SPHERE’s support, we were able to show that dementia education can be accessible, meaningful and effective across diverse communities,” she said.
“What started as a single funded project is now shaping policy, strengthening partnerships and creating opportunities to reach many more people through larger-scale dementia prevention and support initiatives.”
With momentum continuing to build, Dementia Friends Unite! is helping create a future where culturally inclusive dementia education is not an optional extra, but an embedded part of how communities, workforces and services support people affected by dementia.