An Altona North couple has told of visiting people with dementia in nursing homes and the pain of hearing them scream that they want to go home.
Alicia and Daniel, who did not want their last name used, said they attended a dementia seminar in Williamstown last Thursday to better understand their friends with Alzheimer’s disease and to support friends whose family members have dementia.
Alzheimer’s disease is one of the most common causes of dementia and the third- leading cause of death. There is no cure.
Alzheimer’s Australia Vic hosted the seminar, ‘Dementia: Understanding to Action’, to advise of local services and programs and how people can reduce the risk of a diagnosis.
Chief executive Maree McCabe said the percentage of people with dementia in Hobsons Bay and Maribyrnong was expected to rise by more than 200 per cent by 2050.
“Our most recent research indicates there are now 1209 people living with dementia in Hobsons Bay, with this figure expected to reach 3641 by 2050 – an increase of 201 per cent,” she said.
In Maribyrnong, there are about 1934 people with dementia, and this number is expected to increase by 213 per cent, to 6055, by 2050.
Alicia, who has volunteered at nursing homes in Footscray and Laverton, said her experiences with people with dementia had been distressing.
“All the people there had no control,” she said. “That was very, very sad. There are people who become very nasty.
“We have a friend whose mother-in-law is in that condition. Every time she has to go to sleep she screams: ‘I want to go home, why do I have to be here, I want to go to my home’. My opinion is, what happens to other people could happen to me, so I need to have the knowledge,” Alicia said.
Daniel said many friends with Alzheimer’s, for whom English was their second language, reverted to their mother tongue.
“The problem is, when they are in the nursing home, how can the nurse understand them?,” he asked.
Daniel, a restaurateur by trade, said last week’s dementia seminar had been important in highlighting the importance of diet.
“Sunday afternoon, we went to see our friend in the nursing home and it was at dinner time. They came with a sandwich with some butter, cheese and salami, and a little bit of soup and some potato. For me, a person 86 years old eating this kind of dinner is not acceptable,” Daniel said.
