Sam Lim (Tangney, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Hansard source

Wendy's husband, Keith, was diagnosed with dementia when he was only 52 years old. After Keith was diagnosed with younger onset dementia, he stopped working because he was finding his job too difficult. Dementia can be very lonely. Wendy and most of Keith's friends were still working. Keith did some volunteer work, but he missed being with his peers. One day, Wendy and Keith were invited by the City of Melville in my electorate of Tangney to give a talk about their experiences with younger onset dementia. At the end of the talk, someone asked him: if there was one change he himself could make, what would it be? Keith replied: a cafe for people with dementia and a carer who would offer fellowship and support. Six weeks later, Keith and Wendy attended the City of Melville's first memory cafe.

Fast forward nine years. Last month I was honoured to attend that memory cafe's ninth anniversary and see how this cafe is so meaningful to so many people in our Tangney community. In Tangney there are more than 3,300 people living with dementia. The prevalence of dementia is higher in Tangney than in most parts of Western Australia. Dementia Australia reports that in 2054 there will be 7,300 people in Tangney living with dementia, an increase of 116 per cent. The people I met at the cafe were some of the 433,300 people across Australia living with dementia. The carers I met were a few of the estimated 1.7 million people in Australia involved in the care of someone living with dementia. Keith has, sadly, passed away, but at the memory cafe I had a chance to meet up with Wendy, his wife, a Tangney resident, and listen to her story.

I want to say thank you to the City of Melville for organising this monthly cafe and to Westfield Booragoon, which partners with the city and sponsors all their coffees for free. The memory cafe meets monthly and welcomes both new and familiar faces and friends. Wendy said her husband, Keith, looked forward to it every month. They made friends with other couples where one or the other partner was also living with dementia. The cafe helped maintain social connections, an important part of keeping the brain active and looking after brain health.

Maintaining brain health also includes looking after your body, including physical exercise, taking care of your heart and looking after how you eat and what you drink. Wendy told me how Keith sometimes felt a little awkward when he began to struggle using a knife and a fork and with his glass. He became embarrassed and afraid to be out in the public. The memory cafe gave him an opportunity to be comfortable among other people who faced similar challenges. Wendy still attends the cafe, catching up with friends and supporting people who have just joined the group. I admire everyone's warmth and care. I congratulate the cafe on nine years of success and support and friendship with all the communities.

I want to close with Wendy's words on the importance of community groups for people with dementia:

It's about creating situations for the person living with dementia to live well. Anything that makes the person living with dementia feel part of a group. The carers get a lot of joy seeing their loved ones live well.

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