Love and Dementia

We want to say a huge thank you to our resident Bob Cardiff, who has and continues to be a huge advocate of supporting dementia. Bob has thrown himself into supporting the RSL ANZAC Village Community and is the immediate past President of the Montgomery Volunteer Group that has raised and donated more than $500,000 in recent years to provide the extras for the residents in the Residential Care Homes and for Dementia care programs such as Bonnie the Clown.

• Thank you Bob, from all at RSL LifeCare, you really help to make all the difference

Bob and Laurel were married for 60 years and have many amazing memories. In 2004 Laurel was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s, but Bob thinks she had symptoms for some years prior. One of which was repeating things – sometimes asking the same question 5 times in 1 minute.

Bob became Laurel’s carer and says he was lucky to have the support of a Psychogeriatrician who advised him what to expect during each of the 3 stages of Alzheimer’s. Bob says, “it was critical to get an accurate diagnosis of Laurel’s condition in order to know where it was going. Otherwise we would have lurched from crisis to crisis”.

Laurel and Bob moved to RSL ANZAC Village and were delighted for the additional support the community provided, including Laurel attending the ‘Beyond Dementia – Social Group’ 3 days a week. “Laurel loved going to the group, she would have gone everyday if she could. They kept her mind and body active and she always came back refreshed. The time she was with the group gave me free time and allowed me to clean the house, prepare dinner and plan the week.”

“it was critical to get an accurate diagnosis of Laurel’s condition in order to know where it was going. Otherwise we would have lurched from crisis to crisis”.

In 2013 the Village staff became aware of Laurel’s condition. RSL LifeCare offered a respite place for Laurel at Wirraway/Tobruk, a dementia specific Residential Care home on site, for between 21 and 63 days. The amazing staff at Wirraway/Toburk made it a home for Laurel until her passing in 2016.

Bob has thrown himself into supporting the RSL ANZAC Village Community and is the immediate past President of the Montgomery Volunteer Group that has raised and donated more than $500,000 in recent years to provide the extras for the residents in the Residential Care Homes and for Dementia care programs such as Bonnie the Clown.

Story from Bob Cardiff – Dementia Week 2020