Dementia Australia’s Meaningful Engagement Mentors (MEMs) was awarded highly commended in the 2024 Future of Ageing Awards. The program is reshaping dementia care by equipping aged care staff to build deeper, more personal connections with residents. Results were unveiled at a presentation dinner in Sydney on August 29, 2024…To view all of the winners…
Launched in 2019, MEMs addresses a growing challenge in aged care: disengagement among people living with dementia. This disengagement often leads to behavioural and psychological symptoms such as agitation, aggression and depression.
Staff often lacked training, resources or confidence to create meaningful interactions — while systems focused on tasks over people.
MEMs were developed to fill this gap. Over 12 weeks, care staff learn how to co-design personalised engagement activities with a resident, supported by expert facilitators from Dementia Australia’s Centre for Dementia Learning.
How it works
- Training & Coaching: Participants receive dementia-specific training and ongoing support.
- Resident-Centred Projects: Each staff member selects a resident and creates a personalised engagement plan informed by the resident’s history, preferences, and family input.
- Celebration Day: Outcomes are shared with colleagues and families — often resulting in powerful emotional moments.
To date, more than 400 staff across 24 program groups have completed MEMs, impacting the lives of over 400 residents and their families.
At St Vincent’s Care Services Hawthorn, MEMs helped transform care for a resident who multiple providers had rejected. Through meaningful one-on-one connections and a personalised activity book, his care experience improved dramatically, reducing falls, minimising behaviours of concern, and enabling a permanent placement.
Another resident who was deaf and resistant to care responded positively when a MEMs participant introduced a voice-to-text app. It improved her ability to communicate not only with staff but with her blind sister—deepening their connection and building trust with the care team.
“Thankful to be part of this program. I learnt a lot and now understand why some residents do something I don’t understand. Now I have learnt that it may have been part of their past career.”
Aged care worker involved in the program
Sustainable and scalable solution
The MEMs model creates ripple effects: staff trained through the program become mentors, helping embed a culture of person-centred care in their organisation. Organisations report improved teamwork, increased staff satisfaction, and stronger relationships with residents’ families.
The program is available nationally and costs $7,690 (plus GST) per site, covering training, coaching and materials.
MEMs is a scalable, high-impact solution for aged care providers looking to improve the daily lives of people living with dementia. It fosters genuine connection, enables practical change, and reinforces dignity, identity and purpose at every step.
