About us

Dementia Lens Orange is a grassroots non-profit organisation with a vision to improve the lives of people living with dementia in Orange NSW, and their carers. 

This is done a number of ways, including: 

• Collating key information and resources to help people with dementia and their carers know what to do after a diagnosis, and where to go for support

• Sharing the ways carers can support a loved one with dementia based on expert guidelines

• Liaising with local health care experts to identify the service and support gaps in dementia care, and starting important discussions with politicians and changemakers. 

• Improving community awareness about the symptoms of dementia that go far beyond poor memory. 

• Advocating for improvements in dementia care within the aged care setting, and improvements for home-based care.

The Team

Dementia Lens Orange is a collaborative effort led by volunteers, but we wouldn’t exist without the help of local, national, and even international experts who have been generous with their time and stood behind our vision. 

Dementia Lens was founded by Ceri Cameron and Denise Mills, who met at an Orange Dementia Alliance meeting, hosted by Orange City Council, and quickly bonded over their shared challenge in finding support and services for their loved ones who are living with dementia. 

Ceri Cameron

Ceri Cameron is a small business owner specialising in dementia-friendly, eco-friendly interior design.

She has a background of over 20-years in the health sector in regional-level education coordinator roles, focusing on service design and implementation. Having worked directly with GPs, Allied Health, Not-For-Profit sectors and the community, she’s seen first-hand the unique challenges the health sector faces from many different perspectives. 

While Ceri’s interest remains in all aspects of health, the shift to a primary focus on dementia happened after her own lived experience as the carer for her mother, who was diagnosed with vascular dementia in 2017. This led to Ceri researching dementia-informed design principles, including the USA-based Greenhouse Project, to potentially update her own home to have her mother live with Ceri and her family. 

Inspired by what she learned, Ceri returned to university in her late 40s to make a complete switch from coordinating health projects at a regional level, to providing dementia friendly design through her own small business. 

In addition to cofounding Dementia Lens Orange, she is a member of Orange Dementia Alliance, an advocate with Dementia Australia, co-facilitator of the Orange Dementia Peer Support Group, and is a Dementia Friends Host with Dementia Australia. 

Denise Mills

Denise Mills is a Chartered Accountant and freelance writer who has written for numerous publications including The Guardian, The Age, Crikey, and Sydney Morning Herald. She also has experience in the political realm, having worked as an electorate officer with independent Member of Parliament Phil Donato for several years. 

Denise became aware of the issues affecting people who are living with dementia when she became a live-in carer for her Aunt – her mother’s identical twin – who was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s at the relatively young age of 68, and now resides in a local aged care facility.

Denise is passionate about enabling people who are living with dementia to live in their own homes for as long as possible, and is a strong advocate for key legislation changes to facilitate a genuine shift from task-based care in aged care homes, to people-based care. To have a real impact, this shift requires fundamental support from the government. 

Denise is a cofounder of Dementia Lens, an advocate with Dementia Australia, was one of the five national members of Dementia Australia’s Business Advisory Group in 2024, and is a Dementia Friends Host with Dementia Australia.