Jenie Aikman

SALHN OPMHS

Jenie is a Carer Consultant for older persons mental health services at SA health. SA Health is committed to protecting and improving the health of all South Australians by providing leadership in health reform, public health services, health and medical research, policy development and planning, with an increased focus on wellbeing, illness prevention, early intervention and quality care.

Jenie has lived experience of caring for a loved one who has been diagnosed with Dementia. From 2008-2012, Jenie cared for her husband Kym, who had a rare form of younger-onset Alzheimer’s disease called familial Alzheimer’s, as well as Lewy Body dementia, at the age of 41. Lewy body dementia, also known as dementia with Lewy bodies, is the second most common type of progressive dementia after Alzheimer's disease dementia. Protein deposits, called Lewy bodies, develop in nerve cells in the brain regions involved in thinking, memory and movement (motor control). Kym spent the last 2 and a half years of his life in an aged care facility. 

Jenie was one of the family members who contributed to the design of the Neurobehavioural Unit (NBU) at the Repat Health Precinct in Adelaide, which she describes as both a healing and emotional project to work on. The NBU will care for people living with dementia, whose behavioural and psychological symptoms mean their needs can’t be met in mainstream residential careShe regularly draws on her lived experience in contributing to better care outcomes for these teams.

Jenie was a facilitator at the Dementia Cafe, Surrey Downs, a north eastern suburb of Adelaide, a place where people with dementia and carers can be themselves, share stories, get helpful hints and enjoy good company.