Raising Money For Dementia Australia

I'm raising funds for people with dementia!

Dementia has directly impacted me personally which is why it's my chosen charity.

Moorland Cottage Cafe would like to continue to raise money throughout the year for Dementia Australia and will be doing this in many different ways throughout the year moving forward.

Why Dementia Australia?

It's been nearly 2yrs since Dementia changed our lives forever. Just after Covid took hold, my nan who is 93yrs old this year, was diagnosed with Dementia.

We had no idea! 

Up until this point, she had been living in a retirement village and was out every day catching buses all over Sydney with not a care in the world. 

Nan's routine involved going to bingo at the local RSL club or travelling from the Northern Beaches with her best friend Brenda to go shopping at Burwood, Villawood or anywhere that was a nice bus ride.

Nan had her routine and Covid destroyed that completely and she was getting more and more confused.

Eventually she had a couple of falls and was so disorientated that further investigations revealed she had dementia and Alzheimer's.

It's only been two years since the diagnosis, but the deterioration in that short time isn't something I expected and the decision to put her in a nursing home tore our family apart.

Since then I travelled 8hrs in a day (every fortnight) to see her. (4hrs to the Northern Beaches and 4hrs back).

Some days were good some days not so good. Every visit I was accused of not visiting for months so I took photos and videos as proof.  

I would visit in the morning and she would forget later that day. My phone calls which use to be daily became non existent as she could no longer use the phone. 

I'm grateful that she still remembered me until the end.

Those that have experienced Dementia know exactly what I am talking about.

 Since that diagnosis I have had friends who have lost loved ones to dementia and I have plenty of friends and customers who visit the cafe, who are caring for someone with Dementia.

It's heart breaking for anyone going through this journey and I personally want to bring awareness to this disease and help raise much needed funds.

My nan had a fall at the nursing home and broke 3 vertebrae and two ribs. Watching her in that last week still brings back so much trauma for me as she battled to understand what was going on.

My nan was put on end of life care and I stayed with her at the hospital until the very end. Being completely honest the end couldn't come quick enough and I still cry just thinking about it.

My nan passed away on the 30th July, 2022.

It's been a year since I set up this page and since her passing I've struggled to think about fundraising again as I tried to put this experience out of my mind.

I'm ready now to continue fundraising not only for my nan, but for all the customers and carers who are struggling to deal with the effects of this debilitating disease.

I'm hoping to have a regular event at Moorland Cottage that will help me  raise not only awareness about Alzheimer's and Dementia but much needed money. Watch this space as I plan to announce it on the first anniversary of my nan's passing.

Please make a donation to support my efforts and help me reach my goal to beat dementia.

All funds raised will support the work of Dementia Australia to provide vital support services for people living with dementia, their families and carers. These services include counselling, support groups, education and training.

Thank you for your support.