Dementia 

...that list shrunk, and then suddenly stopped.

 

Dad has always been my favourite person. He is a kind and humble man. He always made time to listen. To be there. It's hard watching your best friend gradually, knowingly fall away. He smiles and still enjoys the company of people and fondness for animals. But it still breaks my heart if I pause too long.

 

Watching Mum look after Dad is difficult; not a role any of us thought would rear it's head for decades to come. It's not something you plan for. But he is the lovingkindness that links us all together. And I suspect he doesn't even know it.  

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I am doing this walk, not because Dad loved walking, though he did love the outdoors and the halcyon wilderness, but because I can (or at least try). 

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Dad, I do this for you.

 

To seek adventure, to be kind to myself and others, and because you have shown me how precious and precarious life can be. 

 

To raise awareness for you and the other 425,000 Australians living with dementia and their carers.

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Dementia is one of the greatest health challenges of the 21st Century. In Australia, there are over 400,000 people are living with dementia. Dementia has overtaken coronary heart disease as causing the greatest burden of illness, injury and premature death in older Australians and there is no known cure. It is the second leading cause of death for all Australians and the leading cause of death for women in Australia.

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Disclaimer:

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I (Jenna) was a Director of Dementia Australia (2017 - 2021) - the new voice of Alzheimer's Australia www.dementia.org.au

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Opinions expressed are solely my own and do not express the views or opinions of Dementia Australia.

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