By Stephanie Holliday
IT is estimated that an incredible 400,000 people in Australia currently have dementia. Given it affects so many people across our nation, it’s time to get the conversation flowing and remove the stigma facing such a diagnosis can incite.
Kyabram local Mick Simpson is at the forefront of a movement aiming to not only raise awareness of dementia, but to deliver social support for sufferers in the Goulburn Murray region.
Mick had inklings there was something amiss prior to his diagnosis in early 2019, but things came to ahead when he found himself unable to remember how to get back home, via roads he had travelled on countless times throughout the years.
“I didn’t have my phone or a GPS with me, I forgot them” explained Mick.
“In hindsight, there were signs earlier on, such as me falling over for no apparent reason, but getting a diagnosis can be harder than you imagine. Symptoms can be put down to needing a break, working too hard or sleep issues, and it takes a bit of firm insistence to be heard with health professionals.”
In June, Mick completed his third ‘Mick’s Memory Walks for Dementia,’ walking 210km from Kyabram to Parliament House in Melbourne. He also received a COTA (Council on the Ageing) 2022 Victoria Senior Achiever Award for his stellar efforts.
Mick, in conjunction with Kyabram Community & Learning Centre Inc, host a ‘Dementia Café’ session, a safe space where people and their carers can have a chat, gain some information, and enjoy a nice afternoon out.
The sessions, referred to as, ‘Don’t Demention It’ are held the last Thursday of every month at 1pm at KCLC (except this December).
Support in regional areas for dementia is crucial. Isolation, both self-imposed or through difficulty for friends and family to come to terms with dementia, can be debilitating. And Mick wants people to know that dementia isn’t a life sentence. With correct support and rich social connections, people post-diagnosis can go on to live fulfilled lives.
The next step for Mick and KCLC is to build an alliance with businesses across the region, to form a fundraising stronghold for both Dementia Australia and the continuation and expansion of social support groups for those who need someone to chat to. If you are in a position to lend support, please call KCLC on 5852 0000 or email kclc@kclc.com.au.
