Why talking about dementia matters
As part of Dementia Action Week and our focus on encouraging more open conversations about dementia, we’ve released a special live episode of the Hold the Moment podcast.
Hold the Moment co-hosts Dementia Australia Ambassador Hamish Macdonald and Dementia Advocate Jim Rogers hosted the podcast which was recorded before a live audience at the Sydney Opera House.
In this special recording, It’s time to talk about dementia, actor Jessica Redmayne unpacks common misconceptions about dementia and age.
We also hear from researcher and clinician Associate Professor Anita Goh who shares tips on maintaining your social life after a diagnosis while Dementia Advocate Heather Cooper explains how exercise and optimism help her live well with dementia.
Adding to this important discussion, musician and songwriter Mark Seymour performs a song he wrote in tribute to his mother, who lived with dementia.
Jessica Redmayne’s reason for raising awareness
The podcast episode includes an interview with stage and screen actor Jessica Redmayne, who was still in her 20s when her mother Christine was diagnosed with young onset dementia.
Jessica, who is a best known for her role on Home and Away, speaks candidly about her experience and the importance of creating greater awareness about dementia.
“When my Mum was diagnosed, my Dad and I had no idea what was going on,” she says. “I think that dementia has a much bigger voice now than it did 10 or 12 years ago.”
In It's time to talk about dementia Jessica discusses how she is using her profile as a Dementia Australia Ambassador to raise awareness of dementia.
That included sharing insights into a Home and Away storyline that saw long-time character Irene diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease.
While she says awareness of dementia has grown since her Mum was diagnosed, Jessica believes there is still more we can all do to encourage open conversations about dementia.
That’s why this year’s Dementia Action Week theme – It’s time to talk about dementia – is another opportunity for her to raise awareness and pay tribute to her mother who died in 2023.
“I remember my mum as this charismatic, full-of-life woman,” she says. “Everything I’ve done is because my Mum encouraged me. I think she paved the way for me to live this life.”
Listen to the full episode
You can listen to, Hold the Moment Live! It’s time to talk about dementia, on the Dementia Australia website, Dementia Australia’s YouTube channelor wherever you get your podcasts.
It’s the latest episode of the award-winning Hold the Moment podcast, which is full of stories about life after a dementia diagnosis.
All three seasons are now available.
Dementia Action Week
To find out more about Dementia Action Week, including resources to help you start a conversation with a GP, colleague, carer or person living with dementia, visit the Dementia Action Week page on our website.
