Margaret Hodge
Younger local people have shared their experiences of loving a family member who has dementia by making short films containing Letters of Love to their parent or grandparent.
These moving films give precious insights to love that endures regardless of the dementia diagnosis.
Participants Chris and Steve, and Peta and Glen, and their families, worked with Dr Barrett and her team from Celebrating Ageing to understand their family’s experiences, write letters to share the children’s story with family members, learn from the letters and then film them so others can learn too.
They produced three films: Isla and Abbey’s Letters, Anthony’s Letter and Ella and Andrew’s Letters. Each film gives different perspectives of family embracing their members as their lives are changed by dementia. They are educational, tender and inspiring glimpses into family life.
The larger Letters of Love and Dementia project began in 2015, with a focus to help people learn about living with dementia using the intergenerational exchange of letters between younger family or community members and the person living with dementia.
The aims of the project are to help reduce stigma associated with the illness, humanise experiences of living with dementia and build connections between people.
Letters of Love and Dementia, Hepburn is the local portion of the project. It is supported by Elder Rights Australia, Central Highlands Rural Health and the Daylesford-based Dementia Carers Support Group.
For more information about any of the local support programs, visit the CHRH dementia web page at www.chrh.org.au/services/dementia
Related Stories:
Healthy Daylesford – Caring for the Dementia Carers
Help Shape Community in Dementia Action Week
Margaret Hodge is a Daylesford resident and a volunteer co-facilitator of the Daylesford Dementia Carers Support Group. Her husband is Tim Bach, Editor of The Wombat Post. Other members ofthe eitorial team made decisions about the publication of this article.
