Hundreds Attend Dementia Forum in Greek

It was standing room only as the Greek community of Melbourne’s south-east marked World Alzheimer’s Day by attending a special Greek educational event on dementia. 

More than 200 attendees filled the 9Ways Hall at Oakleigh Grammar on Sunday 22 September to hear the State Minister for Health Jenny Mikakos MP, two consultant psychiatrists, a family GP and a geriatric nurse discuss the debilitating and often misunderstood condition.

The event The Puzzle of Dementia: What it is and how it affects us, delivered in Greek, was a joint initiative of Fronditha Care and the Hellenic Medical Society of Australia (HMSA) and hosted by Oakleigh Grammar, aimed to explain the condition and its impact to the Greek community in their language from experts in the industry.

Ms Mikakos MP stunned the community by delivering her speech in perfect Greek and offered a snapshot of dementia in the community and the inevitable future demand it will place on services as the Victorian population ages.

Dr Arthur Kokkinias (Consultant Psychiatrist: Board Member & Secretary, HMSA), spoke about the many facets of the condition itself, its symptoms and manifestations, its diagnosis and the difficulties faced in diagnosing Greek Australians.

Georgia Tzempetzis RN (Clinical Care Coordinator at Fronditha Care) gave insight on the challenges of the residential care environment and strategies used to ensure dementia patients with a Greek heritage have a better quality of life when their condition deteriorates.

A video of a spontaneous sing-a-long at the GALINI memory support unit at Fronditha Care made an impact on the audience as it showed the power of traditional music and language in helping dementia patients feel calm and connected.

Dr Chris Plakiotis (Consultant Psychiatrist & Unit Head, Aged Mental Health Services, Monash Health) showed imagery depicting the effects of dementia on the brain and its recommended methods of treatment.

Family GP Dr Nick Roubos wrapped up the event in an interactive way, using humour to point to available services people can access for assistance and spoke about the Five Steps everyone can take to minimise the probability of developing a form of dementia.

Audience members also were the first to take home a new children’s book Yiayia at the Market, produced by Fronditha Care, illustrated by Oakleigh Grammar with a contribution from the HMSA. The story follows a young boy dealing with his grandmother’s changing behaviour, brought on by dementia.

It is hoped parents will use it as a tool to help children understand the condition, consider how to better communicate with those who live with dementia, and to show more patience.

Fronditha Care President Faye Spiteri said the organisation is committed to providing more free educational events for the community after the success of this new initiative.

“The feedback we got was that this information was invaluable as it was delivered in Greek, it gave people the tools to better communicate with loved ones who have dementia and not feel afraid to seek help,” Mrs Spiteri said.

Blown away by the community interest, HMSA President Associate Professor Marinis Pirpiris hopes to expand the topics covered by the doctors.

“Our association has more than 400 doctors researching, diagnosing and managing diseases and illnesses that affect the community,” Assoc. Prof. Pirpiris said.

“We have to date delivered many medical lectures to the public in Greek and it would be our pleasure to deliver more in collaboration with Fronditha Care and Oakleigh Grammar.”

The event was broadcast live and the full video is available on Fronditha Care’s Facebook page.

Find out more about Fronditha Care.