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Speaker 1: From The Australian. Here's what's on the front. I'm Kristin Amiot.

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Speaker 1: It's Monday, September fifteen, twenty twenty five. The Coalition has

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Speaker 1: recorded its lowest primary vote in the history of News poll,

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Speaker 1: a week after Senator Jacinta Numpiper Price was sacked for

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Speaker 1: her controversial comments about Indian migrants. The approval rating of

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Speaker 1: Opposition leader Susan Lee has also slumped, while Prime Minister

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Speaker 1: Anthony Albanesi is riding high with the biggest two party

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Speaker 1: preferred vote since labor Ie government. The former CEO of

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Speaker 1: Westpac says the government's big superannuation tax shouldn't go ahead

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Speaker 1: in its current form. Lindsay max Said says the plan

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Speaker 1: would be a knock to business investment, which the Labour

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Speaker 1: Party is relying on to boost productivity. You can read

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Speaker 1: those stories right now at The Australian dot com dot au.

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Speaker 1: It's the next chapter in Dementia Love Story Today the Australians.

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Speaker 1: Louise Bryant opens up about the privilege of caring for

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Speaker 1: her partner, who was diagnosed with early onset dementia in

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Speaker 1: his forties, and the clarity that comes with a definitive

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Speaker 1: diagnosis plus as dementia takes the lead as our nation's

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Speaker 1: biggest killer. The Australian and our friends atnews dot com

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Speaker 1: dot a U are launching a new series about its

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Speaker 1: impact and why prevention is so important in our shared future.

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Speaker 1: Louise Bryant is the managing editor of The Australian and

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Speaker 1: News Corp Australia's prestige titles Vogue and GQ. As a

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Speaker 1: high flying media executive, she's one of the busiest people

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Speaker 1: in our Surrey Hills office, if not the publishing world.

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Speaker 1: She's also incredibly considerate and has been known to appear

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Speaker 1: at our desks with a box of gorgeous croissants at

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Speaker 1: exactly the right moment. But Louis has been living another

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Speaker 1: life at home with her partner Craig, who was diagnosed

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Speaker 1: with early onset dementia a decade ago, aged forty six.

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Speaker 1: She calls him Moose.

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Speaker 2: Moose and I met in a very typical Aussie setting

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Speaker 2: at the local swimming club and we fell in love

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Speaker 2: and have lived a very happy life. Moosus somebody who's

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Speaker 2: so mischievous and so full of fun and a real

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Speaker 2: lover of life.

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Speaker 3: And we've had a really lovely life together.

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Speaker 1: Yeah, I get that vibe from the words that you've

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Speaker 1: written in The Australian, the words that our colleague Fiona

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Speaker 1: Harari has written, but even from the nickname Moose, I

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Speaker 1: feel like you can't be a Moose and be a

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Speaker 1: bad time.

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Speaker 2: That's right, And I think in the community everybody knows Moose,

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Speaker 2: and a lot of people know Moose by name but

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Speaker 2: probably didn't know that he had dementia. Louise first shared

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Speaker 2: the story of Moose's diagnosis and how they've navigated it

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Speaker 2: together with the Australians Fiona Harari about a year ago,

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Speaker 2: and when I walked up to the local grocer to

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Speaker 2: buy the print edition on the Saturday, I've bumped into

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Speaker 2: a number of neighbors and friends and many were visibly

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Speaker 2: quite mood. They'd read the story and many had known

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Speaker 2: Moose my name, but didn't know that he had dementia.

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Speaker 2: So it was a really powerful story and I think

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Speaker 2: it was a love story, but it was also a

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Speaker 2: story about dementia that was told very differently.

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Speaker 1: The reception at work has been similarly warm.

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Speaker 2: Of course, I've had some incredible support from my colleagues.

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Speaker 2: I always think though everyone's got something going on, and

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Speaker 2: perhaps this story might have resonated and was relatable because

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Speaker 2: people do have personal issues going on in their lives

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Speaker 2: outside of work, and they can be small things or

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Speaker 2: big things, or indeed, as I've discovered, many people have

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Speaker 2: a loved one with dementia or had a loved one

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Speaker 2: with dementia, and I think being able to humanize dementia

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Speaker 2: in a way that he's done with compassion and empathy,

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Speaker 2: which is so how Fiona has portrayed this series of stories.

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Speaker 1: Shortly after Louise and Moos's love story first appeared in

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Speaker 1: The Australian, Moos's behavior changed again. He was confused, oscillating

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Speaker 1: between moments of clarity and disorientation, and began to lash

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Speaker 1: out physically. On one particularly distressing occasion. Police were called

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Speaker 1: to assist in restraining Moose, who's a big guy and

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Speaker 1: still has the hallmarks of a lifelong ocean swimmer, so

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Speaker 1: a sedative could be administered by paramedics. It was my birthday,

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Speaker 1: so I remember the day quite clearly, and bearing in

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Speaker 1: mind that normally, if I was there, I could calm

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Speaker 1: him down, but this had gone past that point, and

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Speaker 1: it was the point of no return, and so when

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Speaker 1: the police turned up, I apologized and I said I'm

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Speaker 1: sorry that you're here. He's just a big, clumsy, teddy bear.

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Speaker 1: And there wasn't much small talk. But they.

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Speaker 3: Threw him on the ground.

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Speaker 4: And they started yelling at him to follow their orders.

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Speaker 4: And I was screaming in my head to say to

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Speaker 4: my Moose, just fight back. You've done nothing wrong.

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Speaker 3: This is not your fault.

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Speaker 1: And eventually the paramedic was able to put the needle

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Speaker 1: in his arm, and afterwards, yeah, he was chemically and

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Speaker 1: physically restrained on a stretcher and was sent to hospital.

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Speaker 1: Moose bounced between hospital and the home where he was

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Speaker 1: living for a while before he was admitted to the

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Speaker 1: Prince of Wales Hospital in Sydney, where Louise is by

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Speaker 1: his side.

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Speaker 2: And the last hospital admission, it was evident that something

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Speaker 2: wasn't quite right and there was a decision made by

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Speaker 2: a complex care team that it might be worthwhile doing

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Speaker 2: some further investigation into what might be causing this.

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Speaker 1: And MRI and lumber puncture performed by Muse's team of

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Speaker 1: expert carers revealed definitively a diagnosis of Alzheimer's disease. Previously,

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Speaker 1: doctors thought Muse's diagnosis could be alcohol related, a product

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Speaker 1: of his days as a brilliant advertising creative. Now Louise

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Speaker 1: and Muse's big circle of loved ones, no, for sure

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Speaker 1: that wasn't the case.

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Speaker 2: And I guess it just provides that sense of clarity.

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Speaker 2: It doesn't change anything, It doesn't change how he's being treated.

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Speaker 2: It just provides a bit more of an explanation about

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Speaker 2: why and how this has occurred. In Moos's case, He's

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Speaker 2: of the fifty five percent of which most dementias are

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Speaker 2: genetic or of their cause by not by external environmental factors.

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Speaker 3: So it was inevitable.

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Speaker 1: And how does that feel for you? As the person

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Speaker 1: who is you said, I guess you're a decision maker

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Speaker 1: in his care, but you're also his partner. This is

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Speaker 1: the man that you love.

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Speaker 3: How does that feel to as you say, get that clarity.

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Speaker 2: I'm completely heartbroken. It's absolutely devastating, and I guess it's

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Speaker 2: been a long journey with Craig and this insidious disease.

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Speaker 3: I feel like his life has been robbed.

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Speaker 2: And I've said this before, but I can't look back

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Speaker 2: and I can't look forward. I'm just in the moment,

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Speaker 2: I'm here to advocate and care for Craig.

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Speaker 1: On that point, you wrote in your op ed for

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Speaker 1: The Australian that it is a privilege to care for

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Speaker 1: somebody that you love. It's something that, as you said,

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Speaker 1: most of us will do at some point.

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Speaker 3: In our lives.

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Speaker 1: Noting the growing prevalence of dementia in the community. Can

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Speaker 1: you elaborate on what you mean by that. What's that

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Speaker 1: experience been like.

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Speaker 4: For you.

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Speaker 2: About caring for someone that you deeply love, that they

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Speaker 2: let you in to their inner sanctum, they allow you

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Speaker 2: to walk the path with them, and in Musa's case,

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Speaker 2: it's been quite a joyful ride. We've had many laughs

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Speaker 2: along the way. I've seen how he responds to my mum,

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Speaker 2: his friends and loved ones. It's really special to experience.

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Speaker 1: Coming up a rallying cry for prevention of the nation's

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Speaker 1: biggest killer. This year, The Australian's Louise Bryant did something

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Speaker 1: she's never done before. She took a volunteer day.

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Speaker 2: My volunteer day was with Newer Neurosciencesustralia, which is the

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Speaker 2: preeminent institute for brain health and research.

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Speaker 3: It's the Brain Bank.

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Speaker 2: Essentially and Professor Matthew Kinnan, who's the institute's director, had

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Speaker 2: read Fiona Hirari's story and they reached out to me

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Speaker 2: and they asked me if I would be willing to

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Speaker 2: talk at their town hall because they wanted to hear

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Speaker 2: about a lived experience with dementia, and they told me

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Speaker 2: that it was really vital to their research. And I

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Speaker 2: was very honored to speak, and of course I didn't hesitate,

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Speaker 2: and I realized then that it was some way I

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Speaker 2: could give back and provide some insights that might be useful.

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Speaker 1: Luis's work with NeuRA has inspired a special series on

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Speaker 1: dementia called Think Again, published across The Australian and News

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Speaker 1: dot Com Dot a U from today. The series will

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Speaker 1: explore the impact of dementia, which is now the leading

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Speaker 1: cause of death in Australia, delve into the science behind

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Speaker 1: the disease, and provide vital steps all Australians can take

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Speaker 1: to lower their risk of developing dementia or delay it's

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Speaker 1: on set.

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Speaker 2: After I spoke at the town hall, I was warned

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Speaker 2: about a looming health crisis, which is dementia. A dementia

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Speaker 2: tsunami is coming Australia is at the epicenter of this tsunami.

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Speaker 2: We have responsibility to lead and I felt quite compelled

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Speaker 2: that we can use our platforms our megaphone if you

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Speaker 2: like to really share an awareness campaign around dementia.

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Speaker 3: It's not all doom and gloom. There is hope.

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Speaker 2: But I think what's really important is the word prevention,

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Speaker 2: and all of our neuroscientists and researchers tell us this

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Speaker 2: that prevention it can actually prevent or delay dementia. We

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Speaker 2: know from the Lancet Report that there are fourteen modifiable

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Speaker 2: behaviors that can potentially prevent or delay dementia, and a

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Speaker 2: lot of them are often linked to your heart health

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Speaker 2: or other things. And when you go to your GP

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Speaker 2: and you are worried about your cancer risk or your

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Speaker 2: heart health, that you smoke, or you drink too much,

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Speaker 2: or you're not exercising, often those conversations will lead into

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Speaker 2: diabetes or.

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Speaker 3: Cholesterol or heart or stroke.

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Speaker 2: Rarely do they lead into conversation around dementia or indeed

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Speaker 2: brain health. And I think this campaign will absolutely support

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Speaker 2: those living with dementia, support those who are caring for

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Speaker 2: a loved one with dementia, but also encourage Australians from

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Speaker 2: forty plus to go to their GP and have that

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Speaker 2: conversation around brain health.

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Speaker 1: The latest data available suggests one million Australians will be

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Speaker 1: diagnosed with dementia by twenty sixty five. Advocates are calling

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Speaker 1: for decisive action by state and federal governments to ensure

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Speaker 1: our healthcare system is prepared to support people living with

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Speaker 1: dementia as well as their loved ones.

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Speaker 2: Like Luise, our health system views dementia as an age

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Speaker 2: care problem. It's after sixty five years old that's when

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Speaker 2: those dementia supports kick in. We didn't have any support

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Speaker 2: when Moose was diagnosed he was forty six years old,

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Speaker 2: and now Moose's current at Prince of Wales and receiving

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Speaker 2: excellent care from the incredible medical staff there. However, it's

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Speaker 2: not an easy straight line.

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Speaker 1: Louise Bryant is the managing editor of News Corp Australia's

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Speaker 1: Prestige Titles. You can read stories and watch videos about

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Speaker 1: lived experiences with dementia at Think Again dementia dot com

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Speaker 1: dot au. Plus, you can play brain games designed to

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Speaker 1: strengthen your brain health and join our subscribers anytime at

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Speaker 1: the Australian dot com, dot au