…and is predicted to increase to 131.5 million people by 2050. Every three seconds, someone in the world develops dementia. In 2013, my intelligent, independent mother became one of these statistics, diagnosed with vascular dementia at the age of 77 — and I wish I had known more about what life would be like living with a loved one suffering from this life-altering disease. Yes, there’s lots of information out there about dementia (it is, after all, the second leading cause of death of Australians) but nothing could prepare me for the roller coaster ride of emotions that comes with watching someone I’ve known all my life slip away into another person. These emotions can range from guilt and fear to anger and frustration to complete helplessness on any given day.
The Longest Goodbye is our true story, the highs, lows, laughs and tears from diagnosis to aged care. It isn’t about having all the answers, it’s about providing lessons learned from our experience.
Having a parent with dementia is undoubtedly one of the most difficult situations I have been in; I can often just feel helpless and wish things were different. You just want things to be as they were — going out for coffees, having a chat with her on the phone, taking her for a drive, laughing like you always did. But, for me, the toughest thing about having a mum with dementia is that you feel like you’re not able to care for her as she cared for you.
