The Long Goodbye: My Dad’s Dementia Journey | Dave Parish | The Next Bit Podcast
The Next Bit Podcast
“His body was here, but his mind wasn’t.”
Dave Parish’s dad Graham was a Wellington plumber who loved his job. When he was made redundant in 2001, something shifted. Over the next two decades the warning signs built up: withdrawal, grumpiness, hearing loss, weight and diabetes, and odd behaviour that was easy to explain away. Then came the crisis that finally led to a dementia diagnosis.
Dave talks openly with Hannah McQueen about the toll on his mum as Graham’s carer, the frustration of waiting for things to get worse in a health system built for emergencies, and the surprising closeness he found with his dad in his final years.
His message to families noticing changes in a parent is simple: don’t wait for help to be offered. Ask early, because time is precious.
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The Next Bit Host is: Hannah McQueen - Founder of Brightly
Guest: Dave Parish
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Credits
Director, Executive Producer & Editor: Arama Murray from Mention Direction
Podcast Creator, Executive Producer & Host: Hannah McQueen
Research & Production: Shelley Smith
Additional Support: Billy McQueen
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