Patty Kikos interviews Sophie Hennessy from Dementia Australia who helps us understand the various types of dementia that people can experience from when they’re as young as in their 30’s. We discuss the wonderful resources you can access from Dementia Australia, including counselling, referrals to service providers and education for carers and staff through easy to access Artificial Intelligence.
Patty Kikos interviews Sophie Hennessy from Dementia Australia who helps us understand the various types of dementia that people can experience from when they’re as young as in their 30’s. We discuss the wonderful resources you can access from Dementia Australia, including counselling, referrals to service providers and education for carers and staff through easy to access Artificial Intelligence.
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Sophie Hennessy - https://www.dementia.org.au/
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Patty:
And what's the main difference between Alzheimer's disease and vascular dementia as opposed to frontal temporal dementia and dementia with Lewy bodies? I just know our carers are going to ask. Is that a very loaded, incredibly scientific question? Or is it an easy answer?
Sophie:
No, it's a really great question and I think this is part of the reason why getting a diagnosis is important. So, you can understand what type of dementia it might be, because that really can help you understand what things might look like in the future and what changes you might expect.
So really the difference is the pathology, so, the underlying causes of dementia. So, if we talk about Alzheimer's, for example, the issue in Alzheimer's is a build up of protein in the brain. And that impacts your neural pathways to how the different parts of the brain talk to each other and that can impact someone's functioning, and we don't know why one person gets it over another.
Whereas when we talk about vascular dementia, that's more associated with what we might call lifestyle factors. So, you know, risk factors for vascular dementia are similar to those for, say, heart disease or stroke. So, it might be diet, exercise, if you're smoking, consumption of alcohol and management of other conditions like high cholesterol or diabetes.
And you can have mix. You could have both of those things. So, you could have the protein in the brain building up and you know some of those risk factors in your lifestyle and you could end up with a mixed dementia, which means you've got dementia that is caused by both of those things.
Patty:
That would be really interesting to diagnose and possibly difficult.
Sophie:
Yeah. So exactly right. That's why it can be a bit of a process to get a diagnosis. But it's also why it's important so you know the other types that you mentioned, Patty, were frontotemporal dementia and dementia with Lewy bodies.
And that really talks about different parts of the brain that are affected.
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Billy:
From the Carer Gateway at the Benevolent Society, we welcome you to, Carer Conversations with your host Patty Kikos.
The Care Gateway is the Australian Government national care hub and provides reliable services, support and advice especially for carers.
This podcast is where we share interviews with guests that have specialized knowledge to help support carers to look after their emotional, mental and physical well-being.
We are recording on Aboriginal country, on lands which were never ceded. We acknowledge the traditional custodians and cultural knowledge holders of these lands and waters. We pay our respects to Aboriginal elders, past and present.
Always was, always will be.
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Patty:
Welcome my lovely listeners. This is an episode that has been requested by many carers who are caring for a loved one that has dementia, and today, I’ll be interviewing Sophie Hennessy, who is the General Manager, Client Services for Dementia Australia.
With a background in public health and health technology assessment, in her 8 years of service to Dementia Australia including various leadership roles, Sophie has driven the development & implementation of new programs and services, the inclusion and development of technology for people living with dementia and carers and where dementia intersects with diversity.
Now we are not. Recording face to face today, Sophie, are we?
Sophie:
That's right.
Patty:
Tell us where you live.
Sophie:
Ohh, I live in beautiful Adelaide SA. I think it's the hidden gem in Australia Patty, and it's a brilliant place to raise my two children.
Patty:
Well, I'm delighted. Do you know that you are our first guest on Carer Conversations that hails from the fabulous South Australia?
Sophie:
Ah, well, I'm very glad to be representing the bottom half of the country.
Patty:
Yes, Radelaide represent! Now I need to ask you a very, very important question.
Sophie:
Sure.
Patty:
Your name. Your name is Sophie Hennessy. I believe that Sophie, or Sophia means wise one.
Sophie:
That's it.
Patty:
I believe Hennessy is a brand of cognac. Is this true?
Sophie:
I can confirm both of those things are true and a coincidence.
Patty:
So, it's almost like your name isn't just a paradox, it's almost a positive affirmation. Do you drink Hennessy?
Sophie:
I have! I don't regularly, but I certainly have tried it and it's a, you know, we definitely get bottles on special occasions from friends and family.
Patty:
It's befitting it's befitting.
Sophie:
That's right.
Patty:
And so, tell me, do any of your loved one's experience dementia? Is this one of the reasons that you were interested in actually working for Dementia Australia or working in this industry?
Sophie:
Yes, like most Australians, I do. My grandma lived with dementia. She's passed away now, but I was able to see, I guess the impact on my mum and her siblings who were involved in her care as she lived with dementia for quite a number of years and certainly among other things in my professional career, that's one of the things that led me to Dementia Australia. And I still think of, you know, a lot in this role.
Patty:
And so, did your mum and her siblings have a way of caring for her that was inspiring for you today?
Sophie:
I mean, they all approached it differently. Mum's actually one of 7 children, so they all approached it really differently. And, you know, having seven people involved in the care in different ways has some benefits, cause there's different people involved. I think it also presents some challenges because everyone's going through their caring stage in a different way and everyone has different priorities and agendas.
Patty:
And perspectives on care.
Sophie:
Yeah, absolutely. So, I definitely saw that play out and it really resonates with me. You know, when you see other people in situations where they don't have siblings around them. Because that's challenging too. But when other people do as well, I understand that there's a lot of different personalities and dynamics that can be at play in that caring scenario.
Patty:
Absolutely. Do you have a lot of first cousins?
Sophie:
Yeah, the mum's one of seven. I think Dad's one of 6. So, I've got about 30 odd 1stcousins around the country. So yeah, we've always had a lot of people around us growing up, which was lovely.
Patty:
It is lovely. It's a blessing, actually. And in reference to dementia, I mean, you've had a little bit of a lived experience. What are some common misunderstandings that people have about dementia?
Sophie:
Yeah, that's a great question. Look, no 2 people experience dementia in the same way, and I think actually one of the things to understand is, it's not a normal part of ageing. There can be a lot of misunderstanding around that, so dementia is not a normal part of ageing, so that if you are experiencing symptoms, it's really important that you go and talk to someone about what you're seeing because when you experience cognitive changes that impact your everyday functioning, it's not something that is normally occurring as part of ageing.
Patty:
That's really good to know because I think society just thinks it's going to happen. There's even jokes about, like you know, “let's do this before I'm old and demented”. So, I'm really glad you said that.
Sophie:
Yeah. So, I think that's really important to understand. Also, dementia is not always just about memory loss. So, there can be a whole range of symptoms that present, and it can be, you know, personality changes, changes in everyday functioning.
Obviously, memory loss is a really common symptom, but it's not just about memory, and I think that can be also really important for people to understand that. It might be experiencing other things or seeing other things, but it still might be something that is a normal part.
Patty:
So, for some people, it's a change in mood. Is it also a withdrawal in social situations?
Sophie:
Yeah. So, there's many different types of dementia or diseases that cause dementia. So, in some diseases that might be the first symptom. So, it might be kind of that apathy or social withdrawal or, you know, not getting that enjoyment you normally get from everyday activities or not being able to undertake those everyday activities. So that might be some of the 1st signs.
The symptoms can be subtle, not always obvious, and you know, so you might not notice it exactly straight away. But often, once someone receives a diagnosis, they can look back and notice that that might have been some of the first signs.
Patty:
So, it's not just an old age disease, it can happen at any stage of life. Sophie, can you tell us what dementia actually is and what are the different types of dementia, such as the symptoms and how it can possibly be diagnosed? It's a big question.
Sophie:
Yeah, but it's, you know, it's a great place to start. So, dementia is a progressive fatal disease of the brain. Dementia itself, the word, is actually an umbrella term, so it describes a large group of illnesses which cause a progressive decline in a person's function.
It's a broad term, that's used to describe loss of memory, intellect maybe changes and rationality and social skills and maybe a decrease in physical function.
Patty:
And when you say a change in rationality, does that refer to someone previously being rational and then becoming irrational? Is that what you would say?
Sophie:
It might not be that stark, it might just mean that you know the way that someone has comprehended or understood things you've noticed some changes in it, you know, someone's ability to plan and execute everyday tasks changes.
And things that they used to do automatically or really easily suddenly become very difficult and you know that can be a really noticeable symptom when you start to notice someone having trouble doing those kinds of everyday activities.
Patty:
So that's probably why it's really important to get a medical diagnosis when those symptoms first appear. Is that right?
Sophie:
Yeah, absolutely. And you know the kind of when the symptoms first appear isn't always obvious, but there are lots that you can do. And because there's so many different causes of dementia, understanding exactly what the diagnosis is can make support and kind of planning for the future a lot easier. Also, getting a diagnosis isn't straightforward. It can be challenging because of the way that the symptoms appear. There could be lots of other diseases that contribute to those symptoms.
Patty:
Such as?
Sophie:
It could be depression, it could be, you know, there's some issues with kind of vitamin changes in your body, those sorts of things.
Patty:
Hormonal changes as well. Would you say?
Sophie:
Absolutely! And there's no one test that diagnoses dementia. It's more of a process of elimination. So, when you speak to your local doctor, which is what we recommend, they might undertake a full medical history and undertake a series of kind of cognitive tests and you know, look at your physical functioning as well and kind of combine all of that information to potentially diagnose dementia.
Patty:
Can a GP diagnose dementia, or does it have to be a specialist like a geriatrician for example?
Sophie:
No, GP's can diagnose dementia. They'll probably be varying levels of comfort and understanding with dementia. Depending on who you see, but if there's any questions or the GP isn't sure or they want further testing, they certainly can refer you to a specialist like a geriatrician or a neurologist who also can diagnose.
Patty:
Sophie, you've mentioned there are many different types of dementia. Can you talk a little bit about them and what their symptoms might be?
Sophie:
Yeah, absolutely. So, in fact, there's more than 100 different types of diseases that cause dementia. The most common is Alzheimer's disease and so often Alzheimer's disease and dementia are used interchangeably. Those terms, other types are vascular dementia, we've got other forms that include frontotemporal dementia, dementia with Lewy bodies. In some cases, such as frontotemporal dementia, the early signs are more likely to be changes in thinking and personality changes rather than memory loss, which we might typically associate with dementia.
Patty:
And what's the main difference between Alzheimer's disease and vascular dementia as opposed to frontal temporal dementia and dementia with Lewy bodies? I just know our carers are going to ask. Is that a very loaded, incredibly scientific question? Or is it an easy answer?
Sophie:
No, it's a really great question and I think this is part of the reason why getting a diagnosis is important. So, you can understand what type of dementia it might be, because that really can help you understand what things might look like in the future and what changes you might expect.
So really the difference is the pathology, so, the underlying causes of dementia. So, if we talk about Alzheimer's, for example, the issue in Alzheimer's is a build up of protein in the brain. And that impacts your neural pathways to how the different parts of the brain talk to each other and that can impact someone's functioning, and we don't know why one person gets it over another.
Whereas when we talk about vascular dementia, that's more associated with what we might call lifestyle factors. So, you know, risk factors for vascular dementia are similar to those for, say, heart disease or stroke. So, it might be diet, exercise, if you're smoking, consumption of alcohol and management of other conditions like high cholesterol or diabetes.
And you can have mix. You could have both of those things. So, you could have the protein in the brain building up and you know some of those risk factors in your lifestyle and you could end up with a mixed dementia, which means you've got dementia that is caused by both of those things.
Patty:
That would be really interesting to diagnose and possibly difficult.
Sophie:
Yeah. So exactly right. That's why it can be a bit of a process to get a diagnosis. But it's also why it's important so you know the other types that you mentioned, Patty, were frontotemporal dementia and dementia with Lewy bodies.
And that really talks about different parts of the brain that are affected. And you may know that different parts of the brain control different parts of our functioning. So, if you could identify that, with frontotemporal dementia as your frontal lobe and your temporal lobe. Then you might know to expect certain types of changes associated with those parts of the brain, compared to another type of dementia.
Patty:
That makes sense. And then are the symptoms common or different for each one, or do they sometimes have an intersection of crossovers?
Sophie:
Look, there are definitely common symptoms, but like we say, there are no 2 people who experience it the same way. But in terms of common symptoms, we talk about, you know, memory loss, changes in planning, problem solving, difficulty completing everyday tasks.
Yeah, confusion about time or place, you know, difficulty with speech and understanding. Changes in mood and personality and, we've talked already about that kind of withdrawal from social activities, so there's definitely some of the common symptoms, but there are a whole range of ways that it can present.
Patty:
And there's also younger onset dementia. Can you tell us a little bit about that? We don't really get to hear that often. We associate dementia with being something that the elderly experience, but that's not the case, is it?
Sophie:
Yeah, that's exactly right. So, dementia is more common over the age of 65, but you know, we see people with dementia in their 20s, 30’s, 40’s and 50’s. So younger onset dementia is anyone under the age of 65.
I guess some of the complexities around it is that, like you said, we don't often expect it to be dementia at that age. So, someone presenting with symptoms it might not be the the immediate place that even the medical diagnosis goes to and it's often people think it might be something like depression, because of some of the ways it can present and you know some of the additional sets of issues, I guess are the stage of life that someone might be in.
So, you know someone in their 30s and 40s might be in full-time employment. They might have young children, they might be caring for their parents. And so there are some of those complexities around some of those things that can present with a diagnosis of dementia in those ages.
When we talk about employment, you know there's those financial issues people might not have planned to have to leave the workforce at an early age and there can be superannuation and insurance concerns around that.
It’s not uncommon to see someone present with a diagnosis of younger onset dementia, where there's been a relationship breakdown, or they've been managed out of their employment because there were issues identified. But actually, it was when they got the diagnosis of dementia that they looked back and some of the things that they were experiencing made more sense.
Patty:
So, the person with dementia may not necessarily have had the agency to choose to leave.
Sophie:
That's right. So, there may be performance issues that appear at work with some of the symptoms you know associated with dementia. And without a diagnosis, people don't really understand what's going on, and in some cases, someone might have been managed out of their employment because there was a performance issue.
Patty:
And so that I can only imagine would affect their insurance and their superannuation as well, wouldn't it?
Sophie:
Yeah, there can really be those issues because often with superannuation you're planning to retire at an older age and you suddenly might find yourself in a financial predicament and, in terms of insurance and income protection, it can be a really difficult challenging time for people who are in that stage of life.
Patty:
And is it frontotemporal dementia that's more prevalent at this age?
Sophie:
Yes. So, Alzheimer's disease is the most common form of dementia across all ages, but we do see a lot more frontotemporal dementia in people under the age of 65.
Patty:
Now I know that part of what dementia Australia is trying to do is to address the delay of diagnosis through raising awareness so that people present earlier, as well as educating GP’s and service providers about what to look for and where to refer, and part of you being our guest today is to also educate our carers and our listeners.
How can you avoid the risk of any type of dementia?
Sophie:
Yeah. And look, that's a question a lot of people ask and absolutely understand it at this point in time. There's nothing definitive you can do to prevent dementia. However, there are many things you can do, like you just said to reduce your risk and it's really important to be aware of that.
And you know, it's about taking care of ourselves, which is great for us at any stage and for our whole bodies too. The World Health Organisation has these 12 really great recommendations for reducing the risk of cognitive decline and a lot of them are common for other diseases.
So, we talked about heart disease and stroke and things like that. So, you know, being physically active, not smoking, eating a balanced diet, consuming alcohol in moderation. Being socially active, looking after your weight.
I guess managing any other conditions that come up, so you know if you've got high blood pressure, diabetes, to manage those. In terms of, I guess dementia specifically, you know, we talk about cognitive training, so keeping your mind active is really important.
And I guess looking after and addressing any hearing loss that appears. So, they're the 12 recommendations to reduce your risk of cognitive decline. But there's nothing you can do that will allow anyone till you definitely won't get dementia.
Patty:
With cognitive training, would that refer to suggesting that people should always be learning something new? Regularly? Frequently?
Sophie:
So that's a really great example of something that keeps your brain active. And you know your brain pathways firing. So, try learning anything new so it might be a new language. It might be a new task, you know all of those things are really great for your cognitive function.
People often think of things like, you know, crosswords and Sudoku, and they're great, but they're not the only things. So, anything that you enjoy that challenges you, that gets you thinking can be really great for that kind of cognitive activity.
Patty:
That's a great thing to say. I'm curious, how do you respond to people who say “I had a friend who smoked, who drank, who had a very hedonistic lifestyle but never developed any signs of dementia. Yet someone I know who was healthy and never smoked or drank developed it at an early age”. How do you respond to that?
Sophie:
That. Yeah. Look, it's a really tough situation. I absolutely understand those questions and why people ask them. I think it's important to understand that it's about risk. So, just because you've got all of those 12 risk factors I've talked about, it doesn't mean you're definitely going to develop dementia. And just because you've got none of them and you've lived this particular lifestyle, doesn't mean you're going to avoid dementia.
And that's the real challenge with this, but you know what I might say to someone in that situation is you just don't know the person who's exercised and eaten well and has doesn't have any of those risk factors, you just don't know that that hasn't delayed their onset of their dementia so it meant that they got it later than they would have, or meant that it has progressed slower. So, the best thing you can do is reduce your risk as much as possible.
Patty:
I know that we talk about the top tips that we can definitely share with our carers, and a big part of it and big proponent is making sure that you look after yourself. Aside from that, what would be your top 2 or 3 tips that you could share for our carers who are caring for a loved one that is experiencing dementia?
Sophie:
Yeah, I think this is really important. And I think one of the first things I would say to someone in that situation is how important it is to learn about dementia and to understand how dementia can affect someone.
And how you can help support them and connect with them. The more you have that understanding, the more you understand the changes that might be happening to them, but also how you can best support them.
And I think that can go a long way. You know, as we know, with dementia, there may be changes in your daily routine and as the person's abilities change, you might find yourself taking on more responsibilities and tasks. And when that happens, it's common to experience a range of different feelings adjusting to those changes though the more you know about it, the more you kind of know what might come and what you might expect to see.
And that may help you adjust to those changes. But also, we know that caring for someone can be really rewarding, but also physically and emotionally draining. And it can be both of those things at the same time. So, seek those emotional connections and take care of yourself. So, talking to someone, it could be a counsellor, it could be a professional, it could be a friend or family.
I think that's a really great way to express those feelings, to support you as you adjust to those changes. And also, asking for help, I think that's something that I would say to someone in terms of what to expect and how you can best support yourself and someone with dementia.
I think the other thing is around kind of being aware of the potential changes in behaviour that you might see. With the diagnosis of dementia, we often see carers who kind of feel that frustration because someone is asking them the same question over and over again, and the person just doesn't seem to be getting it.
And sometimes it's kind of like explaining that, because of what's happening to their brain, they're not going to be able to get it. So, no matter how many times we tell them, even though it is really frustrating, they're not gonna be able to understand it. So, the best thing we can do is understand what's happening to them and adjust our expectations and the way we approach them.
Patty:
Yeah. So, it's a, it's a combination of changing your expectations, lowering them, but also accepting that they're actually not gonna get any better. So, the more you accept it, the easier it will be for you to know that they can't actually change. They don't have the capacity to any more.
Sophie:
Yeah, that's right. And to understand that it's not the person, you know, the person that you're caring for is still the same person with their rich life experience and history, but that there is a disease that is impacting their brain and so a lot of those things you are seeing are the disease. It's not the person, the person still there, they just may not be able to express themselves in the same way that they could before.
Patty:
Certainly. When it comes to referring our listeners to the National Dementia Helpline for tailored advice to individual circumstances, if someone gets in touch with Dementia Australia and that number is actually 1800 100 500, what can they expect or be able to access in a little nutshell?
Sophie:
Yeah. So our National Dementia Helpline is there for carers, you know, 7 days a week, 24 hours a day, 365 days a year.
Patty:
With a real person that answers every time?
Sophie:
That's right. There'll be someone at the end of the phone, which is really fantastic, and it's the best place to start. So, Dementia Helpline is staffed by highly trained dementia support specialists. It's a free service that provides support to people living with dementia.
People concerned about changes to their memory, families, friends and carers that all work in the sector. At that point of contact, you know you'll have someone who can answer the question that you've got on the tip of your tongue who can provide some emotional support if you're having a hard time, who can connect you with services and talk to you about what your next options might be.
Patty:
So those services are My Aged Care, NDIS, Carer Gateway and there's another one that I didn't know existed called Dementia Behaviour Management Advisory Service. So that's really important for our carers to know, isn't it?
Sophie:
Yeah, that's right. And you know, the people on the end of the Dementia Helpline will listen to you, hear about what your needs are and match you up with the best service for you. And it might be one of the government services that you just listed. It might be one of our services that we provide at Dementia Australia or another service in the community?
Patty:
Amazing! Technology and Dementia tell me all about it. How is it being used to advance dementia care and what are some examples of different technology offerings?
Sophie:
Yeah, well, so we use technology in a range of different ways at Dementia Australia, and there's some amazing opportunities for technology to have a real impact in the dementia sector. One of the things we use is virtual reality, so I'll tell you a little bit about what it looks like. We've got our EDIE, which is the Educational Dementia Immersive Experience. So, it's a mobile headset.
Patty:
I love it already.
Sophie:
Haha! It's a virtual reality experience and what it does is it puts you in the shoes of a person with dementia and it shows you some of the things that they may be experiencing on a day-to-day basis. And it really is such a powerful way for people to learn rather than just telling them “this is what someone might be experiencing”. You're able to put them in their shoes and they're able to see some of what they might see, and hear them, what they might hear and experience and some of some of those challenges and it really.
Sophie:
Wonderful to develop genuine empathy through a lived experience that isn't actually the experience of having dementia. That is incredible.
Patty:
It is and we're able to use that with, you know, family, carers and support people so they can understand, but also with people who work with people with dementia. So, it's just this amazing experience and you just really see people have that “aha” moment. They find it finally clicks for them. You know, some of the challenges that someone living with dementia might experience.
Patty:
Amazing. And what else have you got?
Sophie:
So using Artificial Intelligence, we've got our ‘Talk with Ted’. So, this is around really supporting care workers who work with people with dementia. Again, it's kind of the same concept and that you can tell someone a lot about “these are the best ways to approach a person with dementia, these are the principles for good communication”.
But this is an Artificial Intelligence that allows someone to try out those communication principles by talking to our avatar character, Ted. And he's a person with dementia. And so, they get to try out what they've just learned, put it into practice, and to try different approaches to get the best outcome for Ted.
Patty:
So, it's really ongoing training as well, isn't it?
Sophie:
Absolutely. And you know, our evaluations of these technological developments have shown us just how much more powerful it is than just the traditional kind of telling someone. This is the information giving them the chance to actually apply it.
Patty:
Yeah, because then you don't have to wait for them to have that time lapse for their lived experience to occur to earn their stripes of actually having that experience. Oh, that's amazing. And you've also got something called Brain Track, which is a free app.
Sophie:
Yeah. And so, this isn't for people with dementia. This is for anyone of any age, and it's really a really fun app that's developed as a tool for people to learn about their brain health. And I guess track their cognition over time, so it's travel themed, and you log in every month and you play these travel games and then it tells you at the end, how you've gone on each of the games.
And there's no right or wrong, but you know, you might do it over time, and then you suddenly notice a change in something or your chart looks like there's been a bit of a dip that just gives you some information that you could take to your local doctor, for instance, to start the conversation. But it's also just a really fun thing to do.
Patty:
That's amazing. So you've got access to your progress that you can actually show your GP and say, look, I think I might be declining in this area, but can you have a look and then you don't have to have so much of a waiting list when it comes to coming to your diagnosis?
Sophie:
That's exactly right. It gives you kind of a starting point and something to show your GP, which might kind of say “is there something I need to be worried about?”
Patty:
This is incredible. Sophie Hennessy. I feel like you have given us so much information, it is only befitting that we reward you with some rapid fire wrap up questions. What do you think?
Sophie:
Sounds fantastic.
Patty:
What career advice would you give your 18-year-old self?
Sophie:
Ah, it's a great one. Look, say “yes!” Take the opportunities that come your way. I guess instinctively I've tended to steer away from planning and focusing on long term goals because I think when you've got your head down doing things, you can sort of miss things that opportunities that might arise. So, say yes, take the opportunity and you never know where it might lead you.
Patty:
And if it doesn't lead you where you thought it would, it you'll still get a detour to where you're meant to be. I like that.
Sophie:
Exactly something might come up that you never thought of.
Patty:
Yeah, I like that. Very much. What game show do you think you could win Sophie Hennessy?
Sophie:
Ohh great one. Well, dancing is one of my favourite things to do, so I'd have to say ‘Dancing with the Stars’. Yes, only problem is I'm not a star, so if they ever did a dancing with the everyday person season, I'd be there in a heartbeat.
Patty:
I disagree. I think stars are everyday people as well, and I think anyone that has a psychology degree and knows as much about dementia as you do is also a star. So, you and I can agree to disagree on that one.
Sophie:
OK, sign me up.
Patty:
I'll. Be barracking for you. I'll help with your costumes as well.
Sophie:
Great.
Patty:
If you could have dinner with one historical figure, who would it be?
Sophie:
Ah, that's a good one. There's someone I've actually learned about through my children, who is fantastic. It's Sylvia Earle. She's an American marine biologist. She's a pioneer deep sea adventurer and I actually discovered her through my children would love a show TV show called the Octonauts and, it's all about these little creatures who are deep sea adventurers and kind of reading about that and where that show came from.
I learned about the original Aquanauts and Sylvia Earle was one of them. So, she's amazing even in her late 80s, she's still very active and still going into the ocean. And you know what I also like about that, it's a real possibility. So, if Sylvia is listening. We'd love to have you over for dinner. We've got a million questions to ask her.
Patty:
Touche. When we think of historical figures, we think of someone from a very, very long time ago. But you chose someone that can actually come and have dinner at your house. Yeah, I love that. OK, this is my last question. What is something that people often get wrong about you?
Sophie:
I think people that I work with might be surprised to know that I think I am the messiest human alive, people who live with me know that very well. I somehow managed to be very organised with my work and total chaos outside of work.
Patty:
So, does this mean your children don't get in trouble for not cleaning up their rooms?
Sophie:
Ohh no, they're. They're more likely to tell me to clean up my room!
Patty:
Haaha. I love this.
Sophie:
I'm very open about it, however, because I think it's important to be honest. So, people who worked with me for a long time will generally have learned that.
Patty:
What a delight you are, Sophie.
Sophie:
Oh, I've really enjoyed it and thank you for raising awareness for this really important topic.
Patty:
We are indeed thanks to you and folks if this was an episode that you think someone would love listening to, please feel free to forward this conversation to them. Liking and subscribing and living as a 5 star review will also help us get into the right listening ears.
Now for those that are hearing this podcast in real time, this episode has been released just before Dementia Action Week between the 18th and the 24th of September in 2023.
Dementia Action Week is a major leadership, awareness and advocacy campaign led by Dementia Australia as part of their role as the peak body for people living with dementia, for their families and for carers in Australia.
It will be held from Monday the 18th of September to Sunday the 24th of September, with World Alzheimer's Day occurring in the middle on Thursday, the 21st of September. Head to www.dementia.org.au for more information until we meet again. Take extra care of yourself. Bye for now.
Billy:
If you are caring for a relative or a friend who has a disability, a mental health condition, a life limiting health or medical condition.
Or they are frail because they're getting older. Please contact us at Carer Gateway on 1800 422 737, or look us up on www.carergateway.gov.au
And if you are a carer, you're allowed to take time to look after yourself. You are just as important as the person you take care of.