Dementia: the DVD

James Nelson moved back into his teenage bedroom in the family home to care for his parents, Peter and Eva Nelson.

James said he wanted to share his family’s experience to help other carers know they are not alone.

“I encourage anyone who is in the process of being diagnosed or has received a diagnosis to watch this DVD, in their own time, to allow for the enormity of the news to settle in,” he said.

“Watching this DVD is a good start towards a better quality of life for you, as the carer, and for the person you are caring for.”

The film, How dementia affects the brain and the person, has been launched by the consortium Dementia Training Australia, which is headed by dementia expert Richard Fleming from the University of Wollongong.

Professor Fleming said while the DVD can be confronting, it would help families and carers process the news and watch it in their own time, again and again.

“Receiving a diagnosis is overwhelming and there is lots of challenging information to absorb and understand,” he said.

The DVD is a remake of the 2004 Alzheimer’s Australia NSW film Understanding Brain and Behaviour.

Manny Sayanos, manager of consultancy and learning for Alzheimer’s Australia Victoria, said there was a need for a DVD like this that families could watch together.

“Despite a wealth of material available online, our clients have consistently requested something they can hold and watch together with their families to help them to understand what a diagnosis of dementia means,” he said.

“A range of organisations, including ourselves, have used the DVD in education work and have often seen participants having light bulb moments as a result of the insights it offers into how dementia affects the brain.”

ALZHEIMER’S Victoria has also launched The Dementia Guide – a free handbook with information and support for anyone affected by dementia. Delia Bradshaw’s husband Bill

Delia Bradshaw’s husband Bill was diagnosed with dementia seven years ago and died in March. Delia was on the committee for

Delia was on the committee for guide and said having a resource like this would have been invaluable to her at the time of her husband’s illness.

“Having a friend like this guide that I could carry in my handbag or have as a conversation starter with family and friends would have been helpful,” she said.