CARER FAQs
Here you will find the Frequently Asked Questions and Answers on the My Dementia Companion CARER tool and how it will help you on your dementia journey.
Why do I have to Register with my email to use it?
The dementia journey can be long, complex and busy. Often you can lose track of useful support information. Registering with your email allows you to save useful items and remember your progress, so you won't lose where you got up to when you exist and come back.
I have a question, how can I get help?
If you have any questions or are stuck, you can click on the blue “Questions?” button or the chat icon within the app.
You can also click here to contact us.
I have an issue with my registration
Please click here for user tips on the registration process or contact us.
How do I access the CARER tool?
You can always click on the “Launch Tool” button on our website.
You can also create app-like shortcuts to the CARER tool on your desktop or smartphone. You can click here to learn more.
Is My Dementia Companion recognised within the industry?
Yes, we have been recognised within the industry after winning various awards and grants. We are also listed as a key dementia care resource on various websites. You can click here to learn more.
You can also scroll down to learn more about how we keep the CARER up-to-date, ensure quality and maintain security.
Why does the CARER tool charge a fee?
As a passion project, the CARER tool's fee is very modest at less than a cup of coffee a month! This fee helps to make our positive impact sustainable into the future. It's also a small fraction of the benefits of being able to plan your journey, live well and navigate the complexity of dementia.
Please contact us if you have any questions about this.
Can the CARER be paid for by the Home Care Package or the NDIS funding?
For use under the Home Care Package (HCP), you can contact us for a HCP Quote/ Invoice to give to your Home Care Provider for approval as part of the Care Plan to provide support for cognitive impairment from ‘programs designed to prevent or manage a particular condition or behaviour, enhance quality of life and provide ongoing support’.
For NDIS use, please contact us for an NDIS invoice, then you can take it to your Plan Manager (or self manage) to consider as part of ‘Low Risk and Low Cost Assistive Technology, or Consumables’ for reimbursement.
How do I activate my CARER plan?
You can activate your plan before, on or after the free trial period. You can click here to learn more.
How long should I use My Dementia Companion CARER each time?
Each time you use My Dementia Companion, you can use it for as long (or as short) as you like. It is designed to save your progress automatically (no need to hit "Save") as you go through the tool. If you exit and come back, you can pick up exactly where you left off.
If you don't click "Sign out", you will stay signed in.
It is important to log back in periodically and progress through some Sections or Topics, so you can stay on top of the dementia journey. It’s always better to get ahead of things and prevent matters worsening than fixing something later.
I'm a busy carer and do I need to learn all of this?
Investing to learn new skills to manage dementia challenges can be daunting at the start, but it will make life much easier later. Also, because dementia has no cure, learning ways to cope and developing care strategies yourself is the only way to be able to live well and independently with dementia.
In addition, the CARER tool makes this learning experience much easier by stepping you through one bite-sized Section at time, which you can go through at your own pace over the whole dementia journey.
You can click here to learn more about what does the dementia care and the dementia journey mean for you, as a family/ friend carer.
Do I need to click a Save button to save my progress?
No, My Dementia Companion CARER automatically saves your progress as you go. If you exist and come back, you can pick up exactly where you left off."
Can I use it on my phone and tablet?
My Dementia Companion CARER works on all modern browsers on your desktop computer, tablet or smartphone, such as Google Chrome, Edge, Safari, Firefox etc.
You can also install it on your phone as an app, learn more here.
Is there a tutorial I can follow?
There are three ways you can learn more about how to use the CARER tool:
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Watch our short introductory video here (including transcript)
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Start the online tool and then go through the Topic called "Welcome! Start here for carer basics and more", which includes a tutorial video.
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Come along to one of our live online demo sessions by clicking here.
What type of support information will I find in My Dementia Companion CARER?
You will find a wealth of practical support information from professionals and other carers. Together, they guide you to finding help and develop care strategies to cope and care well.
How often is the information kept up to date?
We check for updates every 1-2 months.
How do you ensure the information is quality?
We curate support information from reputable peak-bodies, government agencies, universities, educational institutions in health, ageing and disability.
Our team consists of medical and allied health professionals, dementia experts, medical researchers and dementia carer advocates to ensure quality.
If you have found better information or anything we have missed, please contact us, so we can help more people impacted by dementia together.
Tips are also checked by our team for quality and relevance.
Is my data kept secure?
And of course, all your data is kept safe according to all relevant government standards and guidelines. You can read our Privacy Policy here. We use Amazon Web Services (AWS), which is used by major governments and large organisations to house their data. We have also passed all security tests and checks by large care provider customers (happy to provide report on request).
Furthermore, when you create a client and carer profile, you only need their email, names and gender for personalisation purposes. After you have shared from the PRO, any further communication you have with them is within your email system and not within the PRO.