TAFE staff helping to ‘beat the blues’

Friday 24 November 2006

The nursing and aged care section of the TAFE NSW – North Coast Institute staged a conference for health care workers on dementia, depression and delirium called ‘Beating the Blues’. The conference was held at the Port Macquarie Campus on Friday 24 November, 2006.

There was an overwhelming response to the conference with 90 participants travelling from as far as Macksville, Kempsey and Gloucester to attend.

Guest speakers included Dr Kevin McDonnell and Gai McPherson, Clinical Nurse Consultant Dementia/ Psychogeriatrics servicing Port Macquarie Base Hospital and Macleay-Hastings ACAT.

Dr McPherson has Certification in Mental Health, Geriatrics and Palliative Care as well as Midwifery and General Nursing. She is currentlya member of the State Dementia CNC forum, which is responsible for formulating NSW Health State Guidelines for Dementia, Delirium and Depression.

Other guest speakers included TAFE teaching staff members Sharen Marshall and Russell Kilpatrick who spoke on subjects such as Dementia, Delirium, Depression and the Effects of Exercise and Natural Therapies on Depression.