Meet Gwladys
Gwladys is living with Alzheimer’s disease. Gwladys lives an active life by seeing friends and family, and spending time in the garden. She keeps her mind active by playing music, going to a regular conversation group and working on her oral histories.
Transcript
[Beginning of recorded material]
Gwladys: My name's Gwladys McLaughlin. I'm usually known as Glad, and I came here a bit over three years ago. I've come here to live in this village so that I could be closer to my daughter, who lives nearby. I've always had a bit of an awareness that maybe one day I would get Alzheimer's or have memory problems because I was having memory problems in certain ways, but I was able to deal with them fairly well. Then, when I went along to get the diagnosis, I was relieved more than anything.
[visual: Gwladys plays the accordion, waters the plants]
Gwladys: In my spare time, I love to play music and I love to get out in the garden, and I love reading, and I love working on my oral history collection. I'd love to get that finished. Then, I love catching up with family and friends.
[visual: Gwladys uses the computer]
Gwladys: Oral history is a name that's used nowadays a bit, but really, it is just storytelling, and that's what I've always done really with the material that I've got in this collection. It's really just talking to people, and listening to their stories, and recording them, making sure that they're saved for posterity for their families.
[visual: Gwladys laughs with her friends]
Gwladys: One of the reasons that I've been so happy here is the people I've met, and especially, there is a group called the Art Craft and Conversation Group. It's available to anyone on the first and the third Tuesday of the month, to drop into, but I think it's the companionship with that group because I'm not really into knitting a lot or whatever. Lately, I've been taking some of my stories from the oral histories, and I think they get a lot of fun out of that.
[visual: Gwladys plays the accordion]
Gwladys: The other thing that I know is very special to me is music. And music's been a big part of my life always. I do play accordion. I do that a little bit here at the village. I think it's really important that you try to keep doing what you like doing and have something to look forward to each day.
[visual: Gwladys waters the plants, laughs with a friend]
Gwladys: Often, it might be just visiting a friend or someone you haven't seen for a long time, or if someone calls.
[visual: Gwladys reads the newspaper]
Gwladys: People love to see with their children, relatives visiting or whatever, just something happening in your day and something to look forward to.
[Title card: With special thanks to Gwladys, Arlie, Merna, June and Aveo Veronica Gardens Retirement Village.]
[Dementia Australia logo]
[Title card: National Dementia Hotline 1800 100 500. For language assistance call 131 450]
[Title card: Visit dementia.org.au]
[END of recorded material]
The National Dementia Helpline
Free and confidential, the National Dementia Helpline, 1800 100 500, provides expert information, advice and support, 24 hours a day, seven days a week, 365 days a year. No issue too big, no question too small.