PRO FAQs
Here you will find the Frequently Asked Questions and Answers on the My Dementia PRO Companion tool and how it will help professionals to improve care, save time and increase compliance.
How do I log into the PRO each time?
You can click on the orange "Launch Tool" button to go straight into the tool, or click here to learn ways to create shortcuts and app icons on your desktop compute or smart devices for easy access.
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 issue with my verification and registration
Please click here for user tips on troubleshooting the verification and registration process.
Can I use My Dementia Companion PRO on my mobile phone and tablet?
Yes, you can access the PRO through your internet browser such as Google Chrome, Safari, Firefox etc.
To install it on your smartphone or tablet as an app, click here to learn how.
Who is the PRO designed for?
The PRO is designed for care professional, including (but not limited to) care or case managers, care coordinators, client advisors, Home Care Package/ CHSP managers (or equivalent), dementia advisors, registered nurses, occupational therapists (OT), social workers and many more.
It was designed because of the extensive feedback and requests from a diverse group of care professionals in aged care and the disability sector and the need for something like the PRO.
Why do we need to learn dementia care and help to empower our clients and families?
Dementia has no cure, so families have to learn care and coping strategies to live well. As their first point of call, your clients and carers will come to you for help.
The PRO is designed to empower you with the resources you need to deliver dementia care in your job so that you can undertake care assess, reviews and planning with confidence, and respond to your clients' needs instantly. This will help you improve care, save time and reduce risk (for the client and family, and also for audit).
As you create a profile for each client and support them through the PRO, it also provides evidence for your hard work.
You can click here to learn more about this.
Are there real life examples to help me to understand how the PRO manages common questions and challenges in dementia care?
We have created a series of real life scenarios to help you manage common questions and challenges in dementia care more easily.
You can click here to view them, including how it supports your in addressing ad hoc risks and needs, respond to questions from families, care assessments and planning, guidance on system navigation, and support to manage changes in behaviours or daily challenges.
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 PRO up-to-date, ensure quality and maintain data security.
How is My Dementia Companion PRO different from using a search engine?
While search engines are very helpful, they can be very overwhelming.
Professionals requested us to create the PRO because they are “wasting” too many hours a week searching the internet for the resources they need to do their job.
In addition, the “searching” process is very stressful because they are constantly worried if the content is up-to-date, suitable or relevant. Online search results also doesn't help professionals to map out one's dementia journey for care assessment, review and planning purposes.
The PRO solves this by curating resources into simple checklists to 1) help you identify unmet needs and risks in assessments or care reviews, and then 2) maps this to your clients' dementia journey for you to take them through. The PRO also allows you to 3) search and respond to to challenging ad hoc questions easily, so your clients are enabled to remain independent and live well at home for longer.
How is the PRO different from training modules?
My Dementia Companion PRO is not designed as training modules, nor does it replace it. You can click here to learn more about this.
Can I use the CARER tool?
The CARER tool is designed for an individual carer and a person with dementia. The whole tool personalises itself to their unique situations and no-one else’s. It is mainly used by self-directed carers.
Professionals need to be able to look at many clients and families with a diverse background. The PRO is designed as such.
It also contains additional professionals specific resources and features to allow them to improve care, save time, reduce stress and be more compliant against Aged Care Quality Standards.
We recommend professionals use the PRO for their work to deliver best practice care.
What type of support information will I find in My Dementia Companion PRO?
You will find >2,000 pieces of neatly curated support resources from experts, professional organisations and practical tips from other professionals.
They cover Topics such as care and management strategies, subsidies and schemes, system navigation and professional specific resources.
Together, they empower you to deliver best practice dementia care, so you can fulfill your role at a lower stress level, save time and help your clients and families to live well and more independently.
How often is the information kept up to date?
We check for updates every one to two month. Major content changes are also documented in My Dementia Companion PRO under the Topic “Updates and announcements” for ease of reference.
Is My Dementia Companion PRO sponsored or affiliated with any of the content provided?
We are independent and not affiliated with any resources we refer to.
We also do not claim we contain all the information about dementia. We encourage you to explore additional available content, especially on the sites of those we refer to.
If you have found better information or anything we have missed, please contact us, so we can help more people impacted by dementia together.
How do you ensure the information is quality?
We curate support information from reputable peak-bodies, government agencies, universities and educational institutions in health, ageing and disability.
Our team of advisors consists of medical and allied health professionals, dementia experts, medical researchers and dementia carer advocates to ensure quality.
Tips are also checked by our team for quality and relevance.
How does My Dementia Companion PRO help with compliance?
My Dementia Companion team have met with the Aged Care Quality and Safety Commission's Executive Team, Assistant Commissioner and Commissioner, who enthusiastically supports our work. You can learn more about how the tools meet the Aged Care Quality Standards and Strengthened Aged Care Quality Standards here.
Why do I have to share all this information?
By sharing all this information through My Dementia Companion PRO, the program can intuitively guide professionals through dementia care. As dementia is so complex and broad, it can sometimes be hard to remember the key areas to cover off and what should come next. Using the PRO’s carefully curated Topics as a guide, professionals can track their client’s journey through what’s shared and what’s not, thus informing them on what else needs to be part of the care assessment and plan for the future.
Sharing also keeps a record which acts as evidence of their support in audits.
The PRO also allows professionals to share information instantly on the spot, with a lower chance of loss to follow up. Currently, care professionals are setting too many hours aside a week to search for relevant resources and send them to their clients and families. This causes delays and losses in follow up, with a poorer care experience.
Can I tell clients and carers to share the resources with other family members?
Yes, you can by letting them know that they can forward your message and content to their trusted friends and families. This can be beneficial for some families as evidence has shown better outcomes for those with a strong support network.
In addition, this could empower more people in our community with dementia knowledge, which can lead to an increase in awareness and a reduction in stigma.
When a carer replies, where does the email go?
The replied email will go directly into the work email address that you used to sign up to My Dementia Companion PRO.
How can we link My Dementia Companion PRO to our client management system (CRM)?
When you share any information, we keep a record of your activity. At the same time, you can also cc yourself a copy, allowing you to sync with your client management software.
Why do I have to Register with my email address to use My Dementia Companion PRO?
Dementia is complex and touches on all aspects of care. Registering allows you to save items and also plan the dementia journey for individual clients and carers.
By sharing and marking items done as part of the care assessment and planning process, it automatically keep a record for compliance purposes against Aged Care Quality Standards and the Strengthened Standards.
Please note, if you don’t click “Sign out”, you will stay signed in (as requested by users).
Is my data kept secure?
Yes, 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.
Is there a tutorial I can follow?
There are two ways you can learn more about how to use My Dementia Companion PRO:
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Start the tool and then go through to the Topic called "Welcome to PRO! Start here", which contains videos and real scenarios to help you
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Contact us for a demo or an pre-scheduled session here.