
Saying yes isn't a new idea at Caladenia.
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When Trish Maggs founded Caladenia, she created something different. She believed people living with dementia should have opportunities, friendships, purpose and a life beyond their diagnosis. That thinking shaped everything from the programs she developed to Meadowbank House and the garden she planned around it.
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Over the next 25 years, Sarah Yeates built on what Trish began. Caladenia grew, programs changed and the organisation became much bigger, but one idea remained remarkably consistent: go the extra mile.
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Listen to the person. Find out what matters to them. If there's a good idea, see if we can make it happen.
Sometimes that means changing the plan. Sometimes it's an unexpected outing, trying something we've never done before, buying something that wasn't in the budget or giving an idea enough time to see whether it works.
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It is difficult to put those things neatly into a funding agreement, because we don't always know in advance what the next good idea will be.
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That's where Help Us Say Yes comes in.
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Donations to Help Us Say Yes give Caladenia a pool of flexible funding that can be used where it will make a difference. It gives our team a little more freedom to respond to opportunities, try ideas and add the extras that make Caladenia what it is.
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As Caladenia moves into its next chapter, we want to protect that part of our culture.
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Trish began it.
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Sarah spent 25 years building on it.
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Now we're asking our community to help us keep it going.
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Help us keep saying yes.
Yes to supporting more people living with dementia! Â
Yes to supporting more carers! Â
Yes to expanding our support for more people living with young onset dementia! Â
In 2026 there are an estimated 446,500 Australians living with dementia, 2 in 3 of whom are thought to be living in the community.*
An estimated 1.7 million people in Australia are involved in the care of someone living with dementia.*
In 2026 there are an estimated 29,000 people living with young onset dementia (a diagnosis of any kind of dementia when you are aged 18-65), expected to increase to an estimated 41,000 people by 2054.*
*From Dementia Facts and Figures, Dementia Australia



















