One in twelve Australians past the age of 65 are said to be living with dementia yet their stories are rarely heard.
That’s about to change, in the Byron Shire at least.
Stories and experiences of those living with memory loss and their supporters are to air in a world premiere doco/podcast series on Byron’s community radio station this week.
Untangling the Yarn Bay FM producer Dione Green says the project aims to overcome stigma and fear commonly associated with memory loss, such as experienced by people living with dementia.
Listeners may have a loved one, perhaps, ‘who’s starting to show early signs of dementia,’ Ms Green says, ‘or perhaps it runs in their family and they’re worried that they might develop it themselves’.
Her series aims to show people it is possible to ‘still live fulfilling lives,’ she says.
‘Just having dementia isn’t the end of everything, you can still be productive, you can still engage in with your community and in hobbies.’
Funding and support make community project possible
Each episode of the twelve-part series is to feature one or more people living with memory loss as they ‘share treasured memories and talk about what their lives are like now,’ a project description reads.
Carers and loved ones are included in the series, Ms Green says, with the project made possible thanks to funding from the Community Broadcasting Foundation and support from the Byron Shire Respite Service.
The series is to include segments on factual information and tips for those experiencing or close to someone experiencing memory loss as well as feature interviews.
‘Things like new research, new breakthroughs in dementia treatment, things that can slow the progression of the condition and tips for people out there who may not have access to respite services and that sort of thing, who may be caring for a parent or another loved one,’ Ms Green says.
Living well with memory loss
As part of the project, the series producer interviewed people at the Byron Respite care service centre in Brunswick Heads.
Staff from the centre would pick people up in a bus in the morning on weekdays, Ms Green says, to bring them to the centre.
Some people might only come one day a week, or some might come three days a week, she says, giving clients (a word she says she’s still not quite comfortable with) a day out and their carers some respite.
‘It can be a pretty much 24/7 job to be looking after a loved one, a parent, say, or a partner,’ Ms Green says.
‘So they can, you know, live their normal lives and, and the people at the respite centre, they have all sorts of different hobbies’.
Ms Green lists dancing, singing, drawing, various forms of artwork, word games and ‘carpet bowling’ as some of the activities clients at the centre engage in.
‘They get nice lunch and morning and afternoon tea,’ she adds.
Information on how people with memory loss can ‘live well,’ as well as how to get more information and become part of a wider community with access to support, is also to be included in the series and ‘tips for what to do in certain situations in the home’.
Longtime Bay FM presenter to star in Untangling the Yarn
The series launch is particularly poignant for the Bay FM community as the project stars one of the station’s longtime volunteer presenters, Phil Hurst.
Mr Hurst doesn’t live with dementia, Ms Green says, and his condition is not normally disclosed on-air.
The experienced broadcaster presenters his weekly show, Whirled Music, each Friday on Bay FM from 1-2pm with support from his carer, known to listeners as the long beloved ‘Ruthie’ (Ruth Pellen).
The nature of the pair’s connection beyond the wavelength is also not normally disclosed on-air as part of Mr Hurst’s show, which features an eclectic array of sophisticated music from a vast variety of genres, times and places.
Listeners of Whirled Music can expect a lunchtime aural treat of sounds ranging from First Nations Australian artists to classic blues, a street busker’s CD or a live solo recording, hip hop, country, folk and more from around the globe.
Prior to his time as a Bay FM volunteer, Mr Hurst played many interesting roles but to find out more you’ll have to tune in to Untangling the Yarn.
The first episode is to air from 10am Wednesday 13 March on Dione Green’s weekly local magazine show, Make A Change.
* Mia Armitage is a Bay FM member
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