Risk Reduction for Dementia Initiative- North West (RReDI-NoW)

Arm 1: Preventing Dementia Online Course (PDMOOC): Participants will enroll in the PDMOOC delivered online by the Wicking Dementia Research and Education Centre which runs for a period of 4 weeks and takes approximately 8 hours in total (2 hours per week). The Preventing Dementia (PD) MOOC is a short online course that presents the latest evidence for risk factors for dementia and related behavioural interventions in a highly accessible fashion. The goal of the PD MOOC is to build knowledge and self-efficacy in management of these modifiable dementia risk factors as well as an ability to appraise evidence related to such risk. The PD MOOC is comprised of 4 modules that are released on a weekly basis, with each module consisting of approximately 2 hours of content and activities. Course material includes pages of text and images, videos, discussion boards and quizzes. Rich learning materials such as explanatory animations are embedded into the course, as well as feedback from Wicking Centre staff on participant posts. The MOOC also involves a substantial social learning component, designed to build efficacy in critiquing media reports on dementia prevention, and highlighting behavioural domains most amenable for change. Completion of end of unit quizzes will provide data on adherence. Arm 2:Preventing Dementia Online Course (PDMOOC) plus community initiatives: Participants will enrol in the PDMOOC delivered online by the Wicking Dementia Research and Education Centre which runs for a period of 4 weeks and will be invited to participate in community designed community events. This will be coordinated and supported by staff experienced in community engagement. Participants in the MOOC plus community engagement group will be invited via email to engage in community-led initiatives tackling risk factor domains. Following completion of the MOOC, participants will be invited to attend ‘design-thinking’ workshops of up to 3 hours duration to develop initiatives to reduce dementia risk that will engage not only their group but also other members of their community. For example, this may include initiatives to target blood pressure checks, healthy eating, physical activity, social engagement activities and functions, stress reduction and mental wellbeing, diabetes detection and management, sleep apnoea checks, engagement in U3A, TAFE or university study. The codesign process includes consideration of desired outcomes for the community, a synthesis phase, where a range of possible initiatives are considered and developed for the community. The codesign process includes critical review of ideas to enable selection of initiatives relevant to, and generated by the community, based on feasibility, likelihood of success and meeting goals, relative to budget and timelines. After this design process, a limited number of community initiatives will be identified and planning for their implementation in the community will be undertaken. Community events will be delivered via a schedule and for a duration chosen by the participant group in community settings. An attendance list will be recorded for all community engagement activities and as a an output from the codesign process, participants will detemine measures of participation. Participants will identify indicators of participation which are relevant to their community, such as attendance, satisfaction with the engagement activity and willingness to continue with activities.