The Tocumwal Dementia Alliance Group is working to destigmatise dementia and raise awareness in the Tocumwal community.
The group, created by locals, for locals, seeks to offer comfort, friendship and support for carers and those suffering from dementia.
Tocumwal Dementia Alliance Group member Cheryl Prideaux, whose husband Barry has dementia, said the group provided an outlet for those dealing with the affliction.
“The Tocumwal group are actually affiliated with the Berrigan Shire Dementia Alliance,” she said.
“We’re a small group in Tocumwal, and we’re hoping to grow by getting the message out to the public that it’s okay to talk about dementia because from our experience, a lot of people stay at home.”
Dementia affects about 15 in every 1000 Australians; however, that number increases to 84 in every 1000 people over the age of 65.
With nearly 40 per cent of Tocumwal’s population at the last census over the age of 65, Mrs Prideaux believes the work of the alliance group will become increasingly important in the coming years.
"So many people in the town of Tocumwal have retired here for the quiet life and to get away from the city, and I think we will find that dementia is on the increase,” she said.
“My husband has dementia, two of the other ladies that are working on the Tocumwal Dementia Alliance both have husbands who have dementia as well.
“One is in full-time care, the other one is at home like Barry and I are, and the other one has lost to her husband to dementia.
“We all speak from experience and realise that that care is needed because it is a full-time job, and each day the patient deteriorates with dementia, the carer is getting a day older as well.
“So it can be quite wearing and tiring, and we’re just looking to offer that support wherever possible for people who are caring for (people with the disease) and suffering from dementia.”
The group meets twice a month, with members often enjoying lunch together following their meetings, offering brief respite from the constant battle.
“We meet twice a month, once in Tocumwal, and we meet also meet once a month up in Finley, just because we also invite people from Finley, Berrigan and the whole area to join us,” Mrs Prideaux said.
“Early this month we met up in Finley, and a few of the ladies that came from other towns said ‘we didn’t really want to come today’, but there was so much laughter and so forth, they all went home feeling quite refreshed.
“We meet in Finley on the first Tuesday of each month at 11am, and we meet at the Country Club Hotel in Finley. So we have a meeting, and most of us will stay on and have lunch as well.
“They’re very generous at the Country Club, they have a separate room where we can have our meeting, and we try to keep it pretty light-hearted and low-key, people can share their stories and just have a bit of a laugh.
“The other place we meet is on the third Tuesday (of the month) in Tocumwal, and we meet there at 10:30am. At this stage, it’s at the Uniting Church in Tocumwal, which is opposite the police station.”
In September, the Tocumwal group will be hosting ‘The Long Lunch’ at The Bend, Tocumwal, which will take place during Australian Dementia Awareness Week, with the aim to raise funds that will go towards a care facility for people with dementia.
“We’re wanting to get a day care centre in Tocumwal, where people who are carers for dementia patients have somewhere where they could drop them off for a few hours while they attend appointments and things like that,” Mrs Prideaux said.
“As dementia deteriorates, if you’re caring for them at home, it is hard to leave someone at home by themselves.
“That’s really our long-term goal, and really trying to make Tocumwal a dementia-friendly town.”
More than anything, Mrs Prideaux said the group just wanted others who may be suffering with dementia to know that there was support available.
“The message we are trying to get out to other people is that you are not alone, we are here to help anyone, and we want to make that message quite a strong message,” she said.
“I know first-hand what it’s like, so if we can help just one other person in our community in this area, that would be sensational.”
The Tocumwal Dementia Alliance Group Long Lunch will be held on September 18 at The Bend, Tocumwal. To purchase tickets, contact Cheryl on 0408 991 481 or Di on 0439 384 315.