Treating dementia — a new way of caring for the elderly

Psychiatrist Duncan McKellar wrote the report that triggered the Royal Commission into Aged Care Quality and Safety. He has seen how care changes when we take someone's life story into account.Duncan McKellar is a psychiatrist specialising in the care of older people with dementia and serious mental health conditions.When Duncan first started working with these patients, he was shocked to find elderly people tied to chairs and left in locked rooms.His advocacy helped trigger the Royal Commission into Aged Care Quality and Safety and he devoted himself to running a very different kind of care facility — one where everyone’s story is understood and respected.This episode of Conversations discusses aged care, elder abuse, older Australians, aging, Alzheimer's, dementia, aging population, family dynamics, grief.Further informationDuncan's book An Everyone Story: Finding our way back to compassion, hope and humanity is published by Wakefield PressRead more about Duncan and his daughter, Erin's musical A Box of Memories here.To binge even more great episodes of the ‘Conversations podcast’ with Richard Fidler and Sarah Kanowski go the ABC listen app (Australia) or wherever you get your podcasts. There you’ll find hundreds of the best thought-provoking interviews with authors, writers, artists, politicians, singers, psychologists, musicians, and celebrities.