Hold the Moment

Dementia Australia

Hold the Moment is a podcast by people living with dementia and their families.

  1. 2 hrs ago

    Residential Care: Understanding Changing Needs

    When Louise’s husband was diagnosed with young onset Alzheimer’s disease, she knew the day would come. What she didn’t expect was how hard it would be to find a place that could actually take him. For Susan, the challenge was different. Her Italian-born father rarely spoke about his wartime childhood. But in residential care, something as simple as a uniform could transport him back decades in an instant. Moving into residential care is one of the toughest decisions for many people living with dementia and their families. When is the right time to move, how do you find an appropriate place, and how do you even start the conversation? Co-hosts Jim and Hamish talk with Louise and Susan about the reality of transitioning into residential care, the hard parts, the unexpected ones, and the small, peaceful moments that made it worthwhile.    +++    Hold the Moment is a podcast from Dementia Australia, produced by Deadset Studios and hosted by Jim Rogers and Hamish Macdonald.     ABOUT THE GUESTS  Former carer Louise’s husband Craig was diagnosed with young onset Alzheimer’s disease at 46. Navigating a system not designed for younger people, Louise founded the Think Again campaign and now raises awareness while sharing her experience supporting Craig through care. Susan cared for her father Tony, a gentle and hardworking man who experienced moments of great distress as his dementia progressed. Drawing on her experience navigating residential care, she now advocates for greater awareness, understanding and more personalised support for people living with dementia.   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-residential-care   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.

    42 min
  2. Ask Us Anything: How Do You Find the Right Care for Someone With Dementia?

    2 hrs ago ·  Bonus

    Ask Us Anything: How Do You Find the Right Care for Someone With Dementia?

    Moving into residential care is never an easy decision, but it's about finding support, safety and dignity along the way. 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 how to navigate daily routines when your loved one stops wanting to shower, and residential care for people with young onset dementia.   +++    ABOUT THIS EPISODE  This ‘Ask Us Anything’ episode was hosted by Jim Rogers with advice from Jane, a Senior Family Engagement Counsellor 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-residential-care    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.

    9 min

  3. 30 June ·  Bonus

    Ask Us Anything: How Do I Balance Life While Caring for My Parent with Dementia?

    Caring for a parent with dementia in your teens,  20s or 30s brings challenges most people don’t see. 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 examine the pressures young carers face and share advice on managing the juggle.   +++   ABOUT THIS EPISODE This ‘Ask Us Anything’ episode was hosted by Jim Rogers with advice from Jane, a Senior Family Counsellor 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-big-responsibilities   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.

    9 min

  4. 30 June

    Big Responsibilities: Navigating Life as a Young Carer

    Tully was only 15 when her mother was diagnosed with young onset dementia. She figured nobody at school would understand. John’s experience has, thankfully, been quite different. He’s 25 now, and cares for his grandmother who lives with dementia. Caring for her has been so rewarding for him that he’s now a professional support worker and studying to be a counsellor. Caring for a loved one living with dementia always has its challenges, and a sense of isolation is a common one. But for younger carers, that isolation can be even more profound. So few people in their teens or early twenties have done it, so it can feel like nobody around you understands the struggle.   +++   Hold the Moment is a podcast from Dementia Australia, produced by Deadset Studios and hosted by Jim Rogers and Hamish Macdonald.   ABOUT THE GUESTS Tully Smyth is a writer, content creator and Dementia Australia Ambassador who was just 15 when her mother was diagnosed with young onset dementia, an experience she now shares as an advocate for other young carers. John has been caring for loved ones since the age of five and is now a professional support worker studying to become a counsellor. John cares for his Mum as well as his Nonna, who lives with Parkinson’s disease and dementia.   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-big-responsibilities   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.

    32 min
  5. Still Me: Understanding Identity After a Dementia Diagnosis

    29 June

    Still Me: Understanding Identity After a Dementia Diagnosis

    If dementia alters how you express yourself, what you like, even how your senses work... what does it really mean to still be yourself after a diagnosis? Gwenda’s been living with behavioural variant frontotemporal dementia since 2012, and yes, a lot has changed. Her sense of smell is different now. She’s recently moved into a residential aged care community. She lives day-to-day with a progressive neurological condition. But here’s the thing: Gwenda is also living some of the best years of her life. A fierce dementia advocate, and a woman who refuses to be flattened by assumptions, Gwenda is adamant that a dementia diagnosis doesn’t define who you are, and that there’s no single way to “do” dementia. “To assume that somebody living with dementia isn’t meeting the norms is about you not getting to know them,” Gwenda says. “It’s your problem, not theirs.” Gwenda sits down with hosts Jim and Hamish to talk frankly about identity, adaptation and why joy hasn’t disappeared from her life, it’s simply changed shape. They explore how carers and families can better understand the deeply individual ways dementia shows up and how curiosity, rather than fear, can transform relationships.   +++   Hold the Moment is a podcast from Dementia Australia, produced by Deadset Studios and hosted by Jim Rogers and Hamish Macdonald.   ABOUT THE GUESTS Gwenda is a proud Palawa woman, Dementia Australia Dementia Advocate and former member of the Aged Care Council of Elders. Diagnosed with behavioural variant frontotemporal dementia in 2012, she has spent more than a decade challenging the stigma that often accompanies dementia.   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 via the Dementia Australia website.   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 acknowledges and appreciates the support of the Australian Government for this initiative.

    32 min
  6. Ask Us Anything: Why are evenings so hard?

    22 June ·  Bonus

    Ask Us Anything: Why are evenings so hard?

    As dementia progresses, the way people express themselves can change, sometimes in subtle ways and sometimes more dramatically.   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 offer practical and compassionate strategies for people struggling with evening routines, and for when a loved one’s language reverts to mother tongue.     +++    ABOUT THIS EPISODE  This ‘Ask Us Anything’ episode was hosted by Jim Rogers with advice from Louise, a National Dementia Helpline 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-me   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.

    7 min
  7. Hold the Moment Season 3 Trailer

    Season 3 Trailer

    Hold the Moment Season 3 Trailer

    Dementia is now Australia's leading cause of death and yet the conversations that matter most are still the hardest to have. Hold the Moment returns for a third season to change that. Co-hosted by Jim Rogers, who is living with young onset Alzheimer's disease, and Hamish Macdonald, a leading journalist who cared for his father through Lewy Body dementia and Parkinson's, the show brings the voices of people living with dementia and those who love them into the open. Real people. Hard questions. No filter. Series 3 goes further than ever before, into the risk of financial abuse, the isolation faced by young carers, the heartbreak and hope of childhood dementia, and the surprisingly peaceful possibility of palliative care. Jim shares how his own condition has progressed since Series 2, and both hosts sit with guests whose experiences will challenge, move, and inform anyone touched by this disease. Alongside the 10 main episodes, bonus Ask Us Anything episodes put listener questions directly to experts, covering everything from consent and intimacy to showering routines and residential care. Nothing is off limits.  Hold the Moment is a podcast from Dementia Australia, produced by Deadset Studios.   +++   Hold the Moment is a podcast from Dementia Australia, produced by Deadset Studios and hosted by Jim Rogers and Hamish Macdonald. NEED SUPPORT? Contact the National Dementia Helpline: 1800 100 500. Available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week - funded by the Australian Government. 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.

    3 min
  8. It takes a village - why no one can do it alone

    15/09/2025 ·  Bonus

    It takes a village - why no one can do it alone

    When Kath who lives with dementia became confused inside a public toilet, her husband Bob knew something had to change.  What started as one small fix in the tiny coastal town of Tumby Bay, South Australia, soon grew into action by the local council — and sparked a ripple effect reaching communities far beyond their town.  No one can make big changes on their own. Dementia Australia’s National Manager Dementia-Friendly Communities Belinda Curtis explains how small actions can lead to lasting change and why connection really matters when it comes to assisting those living with a dementia diagnosis.  +++    Hold The Moment is a podcast from Dementia Australia, produced by Deadset Studios and hosted by Jim Rogers. Follow Dementia Australia on Instagram and find support resources online. Dementia Australia’s Dementia-Friendly Communities program informs and supports people who want to collaborate with people living with dementia to create communities where everyone can participate.      This episode was produced by Amelia Navascues with sound design by Slade Gibson. The executive producers are Sarah Dabro 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.

    15 min
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4.9
out of 5
106 Ratings

About

Hold the Moment is a podcast by people living with dementia and their families.

Information

  • Creator
    Dementia Australia
  • Years Active
    2024 - 2026
  • Episodes
    39
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © Copyright 2024 All rights reserved.
  • Show Website
    Hold the Moment

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