This introduction was written by my staff member Adam Cohen about his father Barrys moving article in the Weekend Australian on his move into a nursing home as his suffering from dementia worsens. “Few people understand what it’s like to have a parent with dementia unless they’ve been through the experience themselves. That was certainly the case for my family until Dad was diagnosed. Before this happened I had never seen anyone with dementia – it appears they are kept hidden away and I had only ever heard their stories. I suspect this is one of the reasons dementia is so badly misunderstood by the greater community. My learning curve is rising sharply. The one thing I never understood is that with dementia there is more than one sufferer. Those closest to that person will suffer too and in a very different way to those I’ve witnessed with a family member or friend with a chronic or fatal illness – in a way that’s very difficult to put into words. Dad’s story highlights a number of things but most importantly that we are not doing enough for those who toiled their whole life only to end up in the sort of care that resembles nowhere near the home environment we live in – it resembles the complete opposite. We’d be outraged if children were being raised in this manner as they enter the world, so why do we allow it to happen to the elderly as they depart? It’s time to act.” - Adam Cohen To read Barrys article: danbymp/content/pdfs/cohencolumn.pdf (Disclosure: I worked for Barry Cohen while he Minster for the Arts, Heritage and Environment in the Hawke Government)
Posted on: Mon, 20 Oct 2014 06:14:56 +0000
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