BlueCare's Giving Day in October was themed around sunflowers - those bright, hopeful flowers that turn toward the light and a design carers use to help better understand someone living with dementia. It was the perfect symbol for what unfolded that day too.
At Grevillea Gardens in Gympie, the community showed up in force. Families arrived. So did neighbours who'd seen the signs and wanted to be part of something good. The local police dropped by and ended up staying for hours, posing for photos with residents, some of whom were meeting officers for the very first time. Children ran between the face painting station and their grandparents browsing market stalls. A bonsai display drew quiet admirers. Live music filled the air. Sunflowers - real ones - brightened every corner.
This scene repeated across our communities in different forms. Each location added its own character, its own local flavour. But underneath the individual details ran the same current: people showing up for each other. Small acts of generosity, like seeds, planted throughout the day.
The funds raised will support dementia care across Queensland in ways that will touch countless lives. Clinical teams - nurses and allied health professionals working in both residential aged care and community settings - will receive specialised training in dementia care and assessment. They'll learn to recognise early signs, provide timely intervention, and offer families real strategies for managing the hardest moments.
Two dedicated clinical dementia consultants will spend the next twelve months embedded in our communities. They’ll work alongside staff, strengthening existing knowledge, expanding what's possible in regions that have never had access to this level of specialised support.
And then there are the resources that transform abstract knowledge into tangible comfort. Sensory tools that ground someone in the present moment. Memory activities that spark connection. Therapeutic equipment designed specifically for the unique needs of people living with dementia. These aren't luxuries. They're the difference between a day spent in anxiety and a day spent in meaningful engagement.
Every dollar raised - whether from a cake stall, a raffle ticket, or a corporate sponsorship - becomes part of something larger. Like sunflower seeds scattered across Queensland, each contribution will grow into better training, deeper understanding, more moments of genuine care and connection for people living with dementia and the families walking alongside them.
