From carer to mentor: The importance of sharing your knowledge

Caring for someone living with dementia requires you to learn so much so quickly. From navigating a complex healthcare system, to managing family dynamics, to balancing caring duties with paid work – you’ll have to become an expert in a lot of areas very fast.  

But what do you do with all that knowledge after the person you cared for passes away?  

Miriam’s mum lived with dementia and, in her community in the Northern Territory, the condition wasn’t well understood and rarely talked about. But Miriam’s first-hand experience as a carer, as well as a Family and Community Coordinator for Dementia Australia, made her the go-to person on the subject.  

Miriam shares her story and explains why she’s so passionate about passing wisdom on to her community and the next generation of carers. 

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Hold the Moment is a podcast from Dementia Australia, produced by Deadset Studios and hosted by Jim Rogers and Hamish Macdonald. For support, you can contact the National Dementia Helpline on 1800 100 500 (24 hours a day, seven days a week). The National Dementia Helpline is funded by the Australian Government.   

Follow Dementia Australia on Facebook and Instagram or find support resources on our website. 

This episode was produced by Gia Moylan and Liam Riordan, with sound design by Ryan Pemberton. The executive producers are Gia Moylan and Kellie Riordan. Production manager is Ann Chesterman. 

Dementia Australia and Deadset Studios acknowledge the Traditional Owners of Country throughout Australia and recognise their continuing connection to lands, waters and communities. We pay our respect to their Elders past and present, and extend that respect to all Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples today.