Meet Dementia Advocate and Peer Leader Debbie Noble

The following contribution was written by Dementia Advocate and Peer Leader Debbie Noble:

I live on the beautiful South Coast of New South Wales and, until recently, I was a Registered Nurse and Nursing Manager in Aged Care. My career spanned close to 40 years. 

Throughout my career, I championed for best practice in dementia care and palliative care. I was deeply passionate about teaching and empowering staff, being committed and connected to relatives and loved ones and, of course, to the person living with dementia.

In 2015, my husband Warwick was diagnosed with younger onset dementia – he was 65 years old. 

I was determined to meet this challenge with compassion, understanding, best-practice holistic care and for him to remain living at home until the end. 

“I could do this… I had all the skills!”

Warwick’s trajectory and cognitive decline was rapid and insidious. 

The most heart-breaking symptom was that he became aggressive with me at times – especially at night. Heart breaking because Warwick loved me deeply and endlessly. He had always been a quiet, polite and caring human being.

In 2020, I reluctantly and gut wrenchingly faced the need to place Warwick into permanent care. Because we live in a small coastal town, the only option was the aged care facility (secure dementia unit) where I had worked for 35 years. 

This was very daunting, as I was well known to the staff and management. 

Warwick’s short admission was very difficult. He was quite aggressive with staff and patients, and generally difficult to manage. 

I was fortunate to be able to attend to Warwick’s daily care needs such as personal hygiene, continence care, grooming, etc. It was important to me to provide that physical, tactile connection with him.

Warwick passed away peacefully six months after his admission. While struggling through my grief (and all the encompassing perils and pitfalls) I still had the strong focus that I wanted to continue to contribute to dementia care. This focus led me to Dementia Australia. 

I became a Peer Leader volunteer with the Connecting Peers Program. 

I currently provide telephone support to two women living in rural Victoria, both with husbands living with younger onset dementia. I really enjoy this role and hope that through my lived experience, I can support others in similar situations. 

Dementia Australia provides an enormous amount of information and ongoing support. I feel valued. 

People living with dementia and loved ones who support that person are very fortunate to be able to access this amazing organisation – Dementia Australia.