The Dementia Podcast Professor Colm Cunningham

In this episode of The Dementia Podcast, Colm introduces an expert panel as they explore the care considerations for First Nations peoples with a particular focus on dementia care. Members of this panel include; Professor Dawn Bessarab, a Bard/Yindijibarndi woman, Director of the Centre for Aboriginal Medical and Dental Health at the University of Western Australia, Stephanie Charlesworth, a Dementia Consultant from SA who has worked with First Nations communities and organisation...

The Dementia Podcast is back!In this the first episode in our new series, Starting Conversations, host Colm Cunningham is joined by author and resident guest, Ailsa Wild.Ailsa meets with her neighbours, Clare & Jim to talk about what it was like for them when Clare had those first signs of dementia and the conversation with their doctor receiving a diagnosis.Colm then joins Ailsa to talk about what some of those first signs might look like, as well as set the context for their conversatio...

In episode two of our new series, Ailsa heads over to talk to Dr Sally Cockburn, also known for her regular radio hosting role as ‘Dr Feelgood’ in her segment Talking Health with Dr Sally CockburnThey talk next steps, following on from those first signs, and what that process looks like for the GP and how Sally has handled those conversations. To find out more about this process Ailsa chats with Donna Lee, a dementia advocate at the International Dementia Conference that happened in Sept...

We join Ailsa on a chilly Melbourne afternoon as she chats with Steve Macfarlane, head of clinical services for DSA. They discuss how a diagnosis is delivered and we hear from Clare and Jim as they recount the experience.One question the podcast asks is how early is early when it comes to picking up on a future diagnosis. To that end, we hear from Craig Ritchie as he explains looking for new ways to detect and measure the progression of the disease in the brain in a ‘silent period’. In additi...

In this episode we join Colm as he heads over to chat with John Swinton, a theologian and a world leader in disability theology. John is also the chair in Divinity and Religious Studies, Professor of Practical Theology and Pastoral Care, University of Aberdeen. Colm talks with John about the journey he has been on in his career, and what has led him to do what he does now. They talk about knowing the whole person, and how important it is for that to inform the way we care and commu...

Ailsa heads to the Wurun Senior Campus in Melbourne to chat with the students about dementia and through the conversations we see some of the community perceptions. The students share generously about their own personal experiences and the education and information they have received about dementia. Looking at the community we hear once more from Donna Lee as she speaks to Ailsa about her support group.Colm talks with podcast regular, Prof Mary Marshall, professor Emeritus at the Univers...