“You don’t understand until you’re actually living through it,” Kamilaroi woman and HealthWISE Integrated Team Care coordinator Valerie Cutmore said of caring for a family member with dementia.
This is the heart of a new free video series, Yarning About Dementia, created by HealthWISE to support Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander carers with practical guidance and personal stories from others who’ve walked the same path.
Valerie is joined by Anaiwan Elder and carer Aunt Lesley Widders and dementia carer consultant Sally Henry in the series, each sharing their own experiences caring for family members with dementia. Sally also offers her extensive knowledge, gained from more than 25 years of working with both people living with dementia and their carers.
“It’s been quite an honour to be part of this. And it will go to places where other people will find it very valuable,” Valerie said at the series launch at the Armidale Aboriginal Cultural Centre and Keeping Place on Thursday, June 26.
We're not forgotten. That is a key part.
“We’re not forgotten. That is a key part,” HealthWISE Healthy Communities manager and Gomeroi/Anaiwan woman Kerry Strong explained. She said the series is culturally safe and takes into account the different family structures and experiences of Aboriginal people.
“It brings it back home that what’s happening to me and my family – you’re not alone. And there are resources out there to help us deal with it,” she said.
The videos cover understanding dementia, everyday tasks, showering, driving, agitation and trauma, resources for carers and the importance of self-care. Three episodes are available on the HealthWISE website, with eight more to be released over the coming weeks.
Yarning About Dementia
Aunt Lesley felt it was important to hear from an Indigenous perspective, and for Aboriginal people to know that they have been included and learn where they can find help.
“I did it to give back to my community. But also, to learn myself about the many stages of dementia, the many reasons for dementia. And that it’s not a dirty word, you know,” she said.
Yarning About Dementia builds on a series HealthWISE began in 2018 called Caring About Dementia, adding a stronger focus on community, culture, and the unique needs of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people.
Caring About Dementia remains freely available on the HealthWISE website and is still used by many organisations for training purposes.
“We always wanted to do something for the Aboriginal community because we knew that was a piece of the puzzle missing,” Sally said.
Caring About Dementia
Yarning About Dementia
“This has just been a dream that’s come to fruition thanks to HealthWISE, and it’s about trying to educate and give these tips and hints to people in the Aboriginal community who might not have realised how much information’s out there about dementia, living with dementia and caring for somebody who has dementia,” she said.
The Yarning About Dementia series was created with the support of Dementia Australia, with Newcastle Permanent Charitable Foundation funding the original series. Both are available for free on the Older Australians page of the HealthWISE website.
