The Aussie service helping family stories live on, despite dementia
Dimity Brassil was inspired to start A Lasting Tale after the death of her father. Photo: Supplied
“When somebody that you love, like a parent or a grandparent or a partner, dies from dementia, it takes a while to remember what that person was like before,” Dimity Brassil, whose father died from dementia, says.
“Because all you can remember is the disease and everything that it took from them and you, and it can be distressing to remember them.”
Brassil’s father had Lewy body dementia, and died shortly after being diagnosed 12 years ago.
Not long after her father died, Brassil’s sister also died.
Her father’s death was particularly difficult to deal with and it took Brassil years to heal.
When those closest to her died, she was forced to acknowledge that she and her mother, Anne, had not just lost them, but all of their stories.
“For the first couple of years after Dad died, I couldn’t really remember anything about him apart from what he was like, with dementia,” she told The New Daily.
“And then a few years after his death, I actually started to forget about him with dementia and started to remember all of the wonderful things, the person that he was prior.”
Remembering what her father was like before the dementia took hold was a string of “beautiful moments” for Brassil and it prompted her to work on something much bigger, something that could help many Australians.
A Lasting Tale
As she worried that the memories of her mother would soon be lost too, Brassill decided to record her mother’s life story.
It was the first of some 120 interviews she has conducted and it was the start of a business that would see her become a NSW/ACT state finalist at the 2023 AgriFutures Rural Women’s Award.
A Lasting Tale was founded five years ago and the idea behind it is simple: Record someone’s life before it is too late, so loved ones have something they can keep forever and pass down for generations.
People can book an interview with one of the journalists, who will sit down with a person to record their life story.
The recording is then edited and turned into a high-quality audio program, with timeline episodes and music and is delivered as a private podcast, an MP3 digital file and in a branded USB gift box.
Cost is not a factor
The service isn’t just for loved ones of those who have been diagnosed with dementia or Alzheimer’s disease, but anyone who is nearing the end of life or people who just want to capture someone’s life before they die.
A Lasting Tale has a few different packages to offer, which start from $990, however, Brassil is more passionate about encouraging people to speak to their loved ones.
So for people who want to do the interview themselves, there is a free mobile app, or people can pay $22 for the 70 Life Story Questions, which is more affordable and might be more comfortable for those involved.
“We don’t sit down and ask people for dates or days or even names, we just want to hear the stories that they’ve been telling. We just want to hear about their life, their earliest memories,” she said.
“There is a lot of work around how people who have late-stage Alzheimer’s or other forms of dementia, how their life stories and memories can be used to aid their care and their treatment.”
World Alzheimer’s Day
September 21 is World Alzheimer’s Day.
Alzheimer’s affects up to one in 10 Australians over 65, and that number triples over the age of 85.
Meanwhile, about 400,000 Australians are thought to be living with dementia, with that number set to more than double by 2058.
An ageing population means the impact of these issues is only going to increase in the years to come.
Dementia is associated with older people, but younger onset dementia is diagnosed in people under the age of 65 and Alzheimer’s disease is the most common cause of dementia in young people.
Before Brassil’s father was diagnosed with dementia, he lived with Parkinson’s disease for many years.
“Actually, getting a diagnosis can be really quite distressing at times, because, you know that there’s dementia going on, but until you get a formal diagnosis, it feels like you are floundering,” she said.
Wise words from the elderly
Through her interviews Brassil has found that people who have just been diagnosed with dementia, or any type of terminal illness, are often very wise.
She has been able to learn about the early lives of the elderly, people who are often quite thrifty and resourceful.
Dimity Brassil wants to inspire people to get their loved ones to tell their story.
Brassil just wants people to start having conversations with their loved ones, because the reality is that life is short.
“One day, those stories won’t be there and that voice will be gone. You won’t be able to hear it because they might be dying from dementia or you won’t be able to hear it because it’s no longer there,” she said.
“And I just want people to know that looking from the other side of loss, and for many years past it, that one day you’re going to want to hear them again.”
