Hold the Moment

Janet always wanted to be a writer, but life got in the way, until a diagnosis of  Alzheimer’s disease changed everything. 

Janet began writing again, and it’s become a source of silence, self-reflection and even a means of preserving her brain health for as long as possible. Now, she’s running writing workshops for other people living with dementia, including people who were dragged along at first but came to the second session with a stack of fresh stories. 

Dr Suraj Samtani, a clinical psychologist and researcher at UNSW, says that alongside engaging mental activities, social interaction is one of the most powerful tools we have when it comes to protecting our brains.

Jim and Hamish unpack Dr Suraj’s research and his work on the National Geographic documentary, A Road Trip to Remember, in which Suraj helps actor Chris Hemsworth and his father undergo ‘reminiscence therapy.

 

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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. 

 

ABOUT THE GUESTS 

Janet worked as a teacher, then in women’s education, before completing a PhD in creative writing in her late 50s. Today, Janet lives with Alzheimer’s disease and runs creative writing workshops for other people living with dementia.

Dr Suraj Samtani is a clinical psychologist and researcher at UNSW’s Centre for Healthy Brain Ageing, whose research explores the link between social connection and brin health.  

 

NEED SUPPORT?  

Contact the National Dementia Helpline: 1800 100 500. Available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week - funded by the Australian Government. 

 

SERVICES & RESOURCES  

Find links, services and information from this episode → https://www.dementia.org.au/episode-brain-health

 

EPISODE CREDITS 

Produced by Liam Riordan | Sound design by Slade Gibson Executive producers: Sarah Dabro and Kellie Riordan | Production manager: Ann Chesterman 

 

FOLLOW DEMENTIA AUSTRALIA  

Instagram | Facebook | LinkedIn 

 

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.

Dementia Australia acknowledges and appreciates the support of the Australian Government for this initiative.

Future Planning means thinking ahead about care, comfort and the kind of support you want as dementia progresses.

In our Ask Us Anything episodes, you send us your questions about living with dementia and we’ll answer them as honestly as we can. Nothing is off limits here! 

We discuss ways we can empower carers to share their insights as they advocate for their loved ones in palliative care.

If you’d like personalised support you can contact the National Dementia Helpline on 1800 100 500. You can call 24 hours a day, or request a callback, start a webchat, or send an email with whatever is on your mind.  

 

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ABOUT THIS EPISODE 

This ‘Ask Us Anything’ episode was hosted by Jim Rogers with advice from Jayne, Nightingale Program Manager, at Dementia Australia.  

 

NEED SUPPORT?  

Contact the National Dementia Helpline: 1800 100 500. Available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week - funded by the Australian Government. 

 

SERVICES & RESOURCES  

Find links, services and information from this episode → https://www.dementia.org.au/episode-planning-ahead

 

EPISODE CREDITS 

Produced by Liam Riordan | Sound design by Slade Gibson | Executive producers: Sarah Dabro and Kellie Riordan | Production manager: Ann Chesterman 

 

FOLLOW DEMENTIA AUSTRALIA  

Instagram | Facebook | LinkedIn 

 

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.

Dementia Australia acknowledges and appreciates the support of the Australian Government for this initiative

Betsy had no idea that the end of life could be so... peaceful. Her husband, Peter, lived with young onset Alzheimer’s disease, and the pair of them didn’t want to even think about the end of his life when he was diagnosed.

But as Peter’s condition worsened, he made his desires clear: he wanted to stay at home for as long as possible, and he didn't want his life prolonged when quality was compromised.

When they moved to palliative care, everything changed. "The noise went away, the fear went away. There was grief, but lots of love. There was room to breathe." 

Palliative care was central to the peace Betsy and Peter experienced at the end of his life, but managing that time can begin much earlier if you want it to. "Palliative care goes from the point of diagnosis," says Jayne, Nightingale Program Manager at Dementia Australia. "It's not about morphine at end-of-life. It's about living well, having good quality of life, having choice."

Betsy shares how she and Peter made palliative care their own, and Jayne invites you to start thinking and talking about palliative care early, so it can be exactly what you need when the time comes. 

 

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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. 

  

ABOUT THE GUESTS 

Betsy is an Advocate and former carer. An engineer by background, Betsy stepped away from corporate life following her husband Peter's diagnosis with young onset Alzheimer's disease. Peter passed away in palliative care in 2024, on their 25th wedding anniversary. Betsy now works in food relief charity.

Jayne is Nightingale Program Manager at Dementia Australia. She provides national leadership in specialist palliative and dementia care, with a background as a Clinical Nurse Consultant and extensive experience across aged care, community, and person-centred practice. 

  

NEED SUPPORT?  

Contact the National Dementia Helpline: 1800 100 500. Available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week - funded by the Australian Government. 

  

SERVICES & RESOURCES  

Find links, services and information from this episode → https://www.dementia.org.au/episode-planning-ahead

  

EPISODE CREDITS 

Produced by Liam Riordan | Sound design by Slade Gibson | Executive producers: Sarah Dabro and Kellie Riordan | Production manager: Ann Chesterman 

  

FOLLOW DEMENTIA AUSTRALIA  

Instagram | Facebook | LinkedIn 

  

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.

Dementia Australia acknowledges and appreciates the support of the Australian Government for this initiative.

Making decisions is part of staying independent, but dementia can make that a challenge at times. Supported decision making can help people stay in control with guidance and respect.

In our Ask Us Anything episodes, you send us your questions about living with dementia and we’ll answer them as honestly as we can. Nothing is off limits here!

We explore how to manage overwhelming medical appointments and put supported decision making into practice. 

  

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ABOUT THIS EPISODE 

This ‘Ask Us Anything’ episode was hosted by Jim Rogers with advice from Rose, a Policy Advisor at Dementia Australia.  

  

NEED SUPPORT?  

Contact the National Dementia Helpline: 1800 100 500. Available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week - funded by the Australian Government. 

 

SERVICES & RESOURCES  

Find links, services and information from this episode → https://www.dementia.org.au/episode-still-deciding

  

EPISODE CREDITS 

Produced by Liam Riordan | Sound design by Slade Gibson | Executive producers: Sarah Dabro and Kellie Riordan | Production manager: Ann Chesterman 

  

FOLLOW DEMENTIA AUSTRALIA  

Instagram | Facebook | LinkedIn 

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.

Dementia Australia acknowledges and appreciates the support of the Australian Government for this initiative.

Ann is fiercely independent and has spent many years working in health and advocating for people living with dementia. Since her own diagnosis, that work has taken on a new dimension: figuring out what it means to keep making decisions for herself.

Her husband Timothy is learning alongside her. The balance they've struck is constant and shifting.

"There'll be days where I'm wearing different earrings, and Timothy will say, 'Do you realise you've got one of these and one of those?' And so I'll go and change one of the earrings, and perhaps be a bit terse, but in actual fact, I'm really pleased that he's telling me."

A dementia diagnosis doesn't end your right or your ability to make decisions. But it does change what decision-making support you might need, and it can shift depending on the decision, the day, the stage of dementia and other factors.

In this episode, Dr Craig Sinclair, a Senior Research Fellow at UNSW who specialises in the field, unpacks how supported decision-making works both legally and in practice, and why the right support at the right time makes all the difference.   

  

NEED SUPPORT?

Contact the National Dementia Helpline: 1800 100 500. Available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week - funded by the Australian Government.

 

SERVICES & RESOURCES  

Find links, services and information from this episode → https://www.dementia.org.au/episode-still-deciding

  

EPISODE CREDITS

Produced by Liam Riordan | Sound design by Slade Gibson | Executive producers: Sarah Dabro and Kellie Riordan | Production manager: Ann Chesterman 

  

FOLLOW DEMENTIA AUSTRALIA  

Instagram | Facebook | LinkedIn

 

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.

Dementia Australia acknowledges and appreciates the support of the Australian Government for this initiative.