When Deidre and Warren Henderson decided to retire to Victor Harbor in 2020, Deidre had already noticed her husband was struggling with his memory, but she put it down to his massive workload running a successful building company.
“I thought his memory lapses were due to work stress and a busy social life and hoped it would improve once he gave up work,” Deidre said.
Instead, the acclaimed builder and designer continued to be forgetful and his memory rapidly declined.
Deidre also noticed behavioural changes in her once cheerful partner.
Within six months of their retirement to the Fleurieu region, Warren was diagnosed with dementia.
Four years later, Deidre’s own major health issues forced her to make the heart wrenching decision to place Warren into full-time care.
“I was devastated,” she recalled.
“It was the most heartbreaking experience to be separated from my soul mate.”
Deidre credits staff at Dementia Australia and Carers SA among those who supported her through that difficult time.
“I received fantastic support and feel blessed to have had local medical teams, helplines and fellow carers to show me a way forward,” Deidre said.
Despite now living separately, Deidre still spends most days with Warren.
They walk their little dog, Abby, and are active members of Dementia Australia’s Memory Lane Café group, hosted by the Victor Harbor RSL for people living with a dementia diagnosis and their carer partners to attend together and enjoy live entertainment and morning tea in a safe and understanding environment.
Deidre is now a leading dementia advocate in the Fleurieu region and wants people to know there is hope; both for those diagnosed with dementia and for their partners.
“It is a scary road, but you can continue to live a full life after a diagnosis,” she said.
“It is about getting all the relevant information to make decisions around how to manage it.
“It is about asking for support and, most importantly, it is about knowing you are not alone.”
Member for Finniss David Basham said Deidre’s story is a powerful reminder of how important it is to talk about dementia in the community.
“A dementia diagnosis is a daunting health issue to navigate,” Mr Basham said.
“I am glad we have strong support structures in place and people like Deidre in the Finniss community advocating for more awareness because there is still so much to be done in this space.”
Deidre Henderson is a guest speaker at the Connecting Community Forum by Member for Finniss, David Basham MP and in conjunction with Federal Member for Mayo, Rebekha Sharkie MP and Dementia Australia, on Friday, 31 October from 1:30pm to 3:30pm at Encounter Bay Football Club.
RSVP: www.trybooking.com/DGDLO
