Transcript
[Beginning of recorded material]
[Title card: Making the most of life with dementia – Maxine’s story. Engage, enable, empower series]
Maxine: I'm Maxine. I have a partner and I have two sons. When I was diagnosed, I just cried. Cried and cried. I didn't want this disease, but there's no way around it so you've got to live with it. And it's not as bad as you go along. It is a big shock, but you get used to it. And you do have to change some of the things that you normally do.
[Visual: Maxine does exercises with aged care residents]
Maxine: In my working life, I was a physiotherapist and I helped people. Because I wasn't able to do my normal job, I found myself a place where I could do an exercise group for people in aged care, and I've been doing that for quite a time now, and it's very rewarding for me. I think I'm putting back into the community.
[Visual: Maxine waters her vegetables]
Maxine: Well, I really like my veggie patch because we are growing it, and we know what we've put in the soil, and all of that sort of thing. When I'm in the garden, I'm looking after my plants but I'm also looking after me, because I'm using my body, pulling weeds out, or spraying something, or putting little seedlings in.
[Visual: Maxine read a music sheet]
Maxine: As I go along, I think, well, it's really not that hard. You do have to give up some things that you can't do anymore, and that's sad, but something else comes along and distracts you so that do what you can do, and the things you can't do, don't worry about them.
[Visual: Maxine drinks a cup of tea and laughs]
Maxine: They're a past life now. You have to leave them there and build on what you're doing now.
[Title card: With special thanks to Maxine and Graeme, and BASS Care’s Maranoa House]
[Title card: Dementia Australia]
[Title card: National Dementia Helpline 1800 100 500. For language assistance call 131 450]
[Title card: Visit dementia.org.au]
[END of recorded material]
