18/09/2023
When you hear about people living with Dementia, you really don't understand the disease until you experience it first hand with a family member of your own. This is my father, he was diagnosed with glaucoma 40 years ago. Unfortunately, his diagnosis was too late and as a result he wasn't able to maintain his sight. In the last years his condition has deteriorated him rapidly and he is unable to leave the house due to his severe blindness.
The last years we had started to notice odd behaviours, which we didn't take much notice of at first. My dad has always been a joker with a very dry humour. We came to realise this was the onset of his dementia. Some days he isn't aware of who we are and why we are there.
At 90 years of age my father has no concept of age or time, he sleeps most of the day and needs someone with him 24 hours a day. My heart breaks watching a man who was once so full of life, able bodied and strong being so debilitated by a physical and mental illness. Some days he is so depressed that he sits and cries.
My son was an absolute pillar for my dad, he would sit with him and give him comfort with his gentle, kind nature. As a working single mum I relied on my parents for babysitting quite a lot and as a result my son formed a very close bond to his grandparents. So much that he decided to move in with them when Covid hit, taking the voluntary role of being his carer.
Dementia impacts close to half a million Australians and almost 1.6 million Australians are involved in their care. The number of people living with dementia is set to double in the next 25 years. We all need to be aware of dementia and be mindful of the way we respond and behave towards people in our lives and in our community who are living with dementia.
