Dementia Australia’s Carer Wellness program on Tuesday, March 16
DEMENTIA Australia is holding a free online family carer education session for residents living in Dubbo, Cobar and surrounding areas.
There are estimated to be more than 3500 people living with dementia in the federal electorate of Parkes. Without a medical breakthrough, the number of people with dementia in the seat of Parkes is expected to increase to an estimated 4400 by the year 2058.
Dementia Australia’s Carer Wellness program is designed for carers, family or friends of a person living with dementia and will focus on strategies, resources and support services for maintaining positive carer wellbeing and effective communication.
The session will be held online on Tuesday, March 16, from 10am to 11.30am.
Topics include the impact of caring for a person living with dementia on your wellbeing, strategies to improve and maintain your health and wellbeing, and how to access appropriate services and support.
Sessions also provide attendees with an opportunity to meet with others who are sharing a similar experience, allowing time to socialise and share important links to local support services.
To find out more or to register for a course, please visit cwo16mar. eventbrite.com.au or call the National Dementia Helpline on 1800 100 500.
IN yet another win for the long-running breeding programs at Taronga Western Plains Zoo in Dubbo, keepers have welcomed the safe arrival of a female Black Rhino calf.
For the moment, the new calf and experienced mum Bakhita are being monitored via CCTV cameras and the photo here shows the moment the calf first stood – marking another first in the long history of the Black Rhino breeding program.
Black Rhinos are critically endangered in the wild and a female calf being born is a very significant event, so keepers are social distancing and remote monitoring to allow mother and calf plenty of space to develop their bond and ensure both remain calm.
Zookeepers arrived at work on February 24 to find the female calf standing beside Bakhita in the zoo’s behind-the-scenes calving yard.
Taronga Western Plains Zoo director Steve Hinks said it’s the fourth calf for Bakhita, the zoo’s most successful Black Rhino breeding female and also the first female Black Rhino born in Dubbo.
“This calf is especially important as it carries the legacy of our Black Rhino breeding bull, Kwanzaa, who sadly passed away in 2020,” Mr Hinks said.
“Kwanzaa played a prominent role in the Black Rhino conservation breeding program here in Dubbo, siring four calves, and it is such a great feeling to see his final calf arrive safely.”
Mum and calf are both doing well and will remain behindthe-scenes for the next couple of months before making the move to the Black Rhino paddock on the Zoo circuit.