Cathy learns from cold facts but wants to know more

Cathy Ryan learns a lot about the condition of her clients just by opening their refrigerator. 

After several years working as a memory support nurse with Grampians Health Horsham, Cathy completed her Bachelor of Dementia Care through University of Tasmania in 2024. She now wants to learn more from community members. 

Recently Cathy studied in Melbourne with Dementia Training Australia where they had instigated the Dementia Knowledge to Action program. 

“They have come to realise that a lot of people have knowledge that is not being translated into practice,” Cathy said. 

“As part of my training, I’ve been assigned a project of my choice to complete by the end of November, and I’ve chosen ‘Reducing dementia stigma through education’. 

“I plan to gain as much knowledge from the Wimmera community as I can.” 

Cathy said her experience in her memory support role taught her that refrigerators were a wealth of information as to a client’s level of dementia. 

“Is the food being used? Are they stocking the same thing over and over again? Are they overfilling the fridge? Are the contents of the fridge what you would expect? 

“I had one case where I was asked to check in on a community member and I asked them if I could look in their fridge,” she said. 

“Opening the door revealed 14 roast chickens and packaged salads and each had been partially eaten. 

“So the mindset of the client was to go and buy a roast chicken and a salad from the supermarket, have a feed from it and put the rest in the fridge. Then each day they would repeat this process but at no stage was there a realisation to finish the chicken and salad already in the fridge. 

“I’m sure the community has many more stories and examples of care and the more we can find out, the better we can understand the illness. 

“I want to talk to people who have both experienced dementia care and those who are concerned about a loved one showing signs of memory loss.” 

Cathy said she meets regularly with a local dementia carers support group. 

“We only have 10 members in the group, and I know there will be a lot more people in our community who could use the support our group would provide them. So, I want to hear from them too.” 

Grampians Health Chief Operating Officer Ben Kelly said Cathy’s work played a vital role in keeping community members healthy at home. 

“Grampians Health has a strong focus on training its workforce to be innovative in everything we do and build on existing strengths,” Mr Kelly said. 

“I encourage community members with first-hand knowledge of dementia care to contact Cathy take part in her project.” 

Anyone who would like to talk to Cathy can contact her on 53 819 022 or 0439 492 684. Or you can see her in person at Horsham Plaza from October 20-23.