Emma McBride (Dobell, Australian Labor Party, Shadow Assistant Minister for Mental Health) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

September is Dementia Awareness Month. On Sunday 22 September, I'll be holding the second annual Grant McBride Memory Walk and Jog at Long Jetty on the Central Coast. Last year, I lost my dad, Grant, to early onset dementia. He was only 68 years old. I made a promise to my mum to do everything I could for those living with dementia, their carers and their loved ones. Across Australia, there are more than 447,115 people living with dementia and almost 1.5 million people are involved in their care. Dementia is, sadly, the leading cause of death among women in Australia and the third-leading cause of death in Australian men. According to Dementia Australia, without a medical breakthrough, the number of people with dementia will grow to over one million by 2058. Every day, almost 250 people have the conversation my dad and I had with his doctor where they learn they have dementia. On the Central Coast, there are over 6,000 people living with dementia. The Memory Walk and Jog is for friends, family, loved ones, carers and the community to come together, raise awareness, reduce stigma and raise vital funds for Dementia Australia.

With two weeks to go, 190 people have already registered to join this year's Memory Walk and Jog. There's still time to register at https://emmamcbride.com.au/ to walk, jog or roll between one and seven kilometres. I'm looking forward to this year's Grant McBride Memory Walk and Jog in memory of my father, my grandmother and everyone touched by dementia in our community.