Volunteer in your local community to reduce your risk of dementia
68.6% (or 297,000) of Tasmanians volunteer. They contribute an average of 229 hours a year or 4.4 hours every week to their fellow Tasmanians. Volunteering in your local community has lots of benefits, not just for local people and organisations in need, it also helps you to decrease your risk of developing dementia.
Dementia is a global term that is used to describe a group of diseases with common symptoms. The two most common forms of dementia, Alzheimer’s disease and Vascular dementia, are both linked to cardiovascular health. Volunteering is a fun, fulfilling, and effective way that can help you to improve cardiovascular health, taking care of your heart, body, and mind is a great way to help in modifying your risk of developing dementia. As well as having a positive impact on your community, volunteering can improve your relationships, reduce stress, improve self-esteem and confidence, and give you a sense of achievement and purpose. Research has proven that meeting new people, widening your social network, and engaging in regular social interactions can decrease your risk of developing dementia. Volunteering can help by providing regular mental and social stimulation, which helps to build new brain cells and strengthen connections between them. It can give the brain more ‘reserve’ or ‘back up’ so that it can cope better and keep working properly if any brain cells are damaged or die (Dementia Australia). Volunteering also increases your opportunities for physical movement and helps to improve your cardiovascular health. According to Dementia Australia, physical activity increases blood flow to the brain, stimulates the growth of brain cells and the connections between them, and is associated with larger brain volume. Whether your area of passion involves mentoring young people, animal welfare, gardening, education, sport, arts and culture, or community service, there are many opportunities in your local area to cater to your interests. You can find countless volunteering opportunities on the Volunteer Tasmania website. Just click on this link to explore the opportunities available in your area.
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Meet a couple of our wonderful volunteers
Many hands make light work and that's certainly true at the ISLAND Project, thanks to the many volunteers who have helped us since we started. We're very grateful to all our volunteers who have helped us with expos, testimonials, community events, focus groups and many other activities. We wouldn't be where we are without you. Every week, our ISLAND Clinic would not run anywhere near as well as it does without the help of two fabulous volunteers. Leigh and Pauline who go above and beyond every week to help look after our clients, their families and helping keep us up to date with our research data input. Not to mention that they are a great support to all of us in the ISLAND Clinic team! They are all amazing and we would not be able to offer this service without them. Thanks to everyone who has volunteered for ISLAND up to this point. All of us at the ISLAND team appreciate your time, expertise and kindness very much.
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Launceston presentation - The ISLAND Project - 3 years in
Want to know what we have learnt so far with all of the information that you have given us? If you are up North, it is your turn to come and see us present to you live and have the chance to ask questions. This is one of our ways of saying a big THANKS for all of your hard work.
Join the ISLAND Project researchers - Research Fellows Dr Eddy Roccati and Dr Larissa Bartlett and PhD candidate Samantha Bramich. They will present the latest evidence on dementia risk reduction, some positive results stemming from the ISLAND Project and some novel applications of research methods.
The event starts with nibbles and the chance to chat to the research staff at 5:30 pm followed by the presentation from 6 to 7:30 pm. Please book your tickets here Date - 6 December 2023 Venue - Sir Raymond Ferall Centre, Newnham Campus, UTAS
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Bushfires and your health - Short course offer
Heightened stress and air pollution are both linked to dementia risk, and they co-occur during bushfires. ‘Bushfires and Your Health’ is a free and award-winning online short course for anyone interested in how bushfires and bushfire smoke affect your health – and what you can do about it. This short course was piloted as part of the ISLAND Resilience Initiative in 2021 and is now being offered more broadly. Enrolments are now open for courses starting 6 November 2023 and 15 January 2024. Sign up now and get prepared for the summer ahead. You can learn at your own pace, which includes signing in and picking up where you left off at a time that suits you. Interested? Sign up here
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