New tool supports dementia care workforce to meet standards

A new app-based tool available from Dementia Australia and developed in a co-design process with Deakin Applied Artificial Intelligence Initiative, will help support people working in health, disability and aged care to provide quality care for people living with dementia.

 

Dementia Australia Executive Director of Services, Advocacy and Research Dr Kaele Stokes said the tool – called Tell TiNA – will help workers and providers to assess the skills they need to embed in order to better support people living with dementia and meet the Strengthened Aged Care Quality Standards that commence from 1 November 2025.

“People living with dementia have specific care and support requirements that cannot be delivered without appropriate education and training of the workforce,” Dr Stokes said.

“This tool will support providers to take a continuous improvement approach to the care they deliver, as well as assess the strengths and areas of development within their workforce to build a comprehensive dementia care training strategy.

“Dementia education must not be a once off. It needs to include a regular process of formalised continuing professional development that benefits people receiving care as well as staff themselves.”

Dementia Australia Dementia Advocate Col, who cares for his wife who lives with dementia and has recently transitioned into residential aged care, said a focus on strengthening the workforce is important.

“There needs to be a lot more support for staff – training should be continuous,” he said.

 

Deakin Distinguished Professor Kon Mouzakis from Deakin University’s Applied Artificial Intelligence Initiative said that by bringing together experts in dementia and technology, more effective workforce training and support can be provided when and where a worker needs it.

“Our team is proud to work with Dementia Australia to develop technologies like Tell TiNA, which provides resources for care workers to best support people living with dementia,” Professor Mouzakis said.

Tell TiNA was mapped to the recently released Dementia Training Australia National Dementia Education and Training Standards Framework and developed by Dementia Australia in collaboration with Deakin University’s Applied Artificial Intelligence Initiative, who contributed to the concept development and technical delivery. Tell TiNA has been delivered as a new feature in the Ask Annie app, also developed in collaboration with the Deakin team.

Andrew Vouliotis, Product Manager at Deakin’s Applied Artificial Intelligence Initiative, said building Tell TiNA meant taking a complicated training framework and turning it into an easy-to-use tool – especially for care workers who don’t speak English as their first language.

“Tell Tina is built to help organisations identify gaps in their workforce capability, and connect those gaps to education. It’s about delivering tailored learning so we can build a stronger, more capable aged care sector.

“With over 20,000 people already using Ask Annie, it’s clear that digital microlearning works at scale. Ask Annie and Tell TiNA work hand-in-hand to meet people where they are, with accessible, focused education.”

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For dementia support, please contact the National Dementia Helpline on 1800 100 500. An interpreter service is available. The National Dementia Helpline is funded by the Australian Government. People looking for information can also visit dementia.org.au