At Southern Plus East Fremantle, Marjorie ‘Pete’ is a true testament to experiencing happiness and reaching milestones, despite her dementia diagnosis. Pete has never been fond of the name Marjorie, adopting the official nickname ‘Pete’ many years ago.
Pete was first diagnosed with Dementia in 2016, aged 95. “We slowly saw her dementia progress; we became concerned with her safety and wellbeing. We knew she needed more support than what could be provided at home.” Said Maris, a relative of Pete.
Before her diagnosis Pete was a wonderful teacher and an accomplished artist. Maris explained that Pete changed a lot of student’s lives with her encouragement to pursue their chosen careers. “This wasn’t very common back then, some of her past students will still ask about her to this date. They send messages asking how she is doing.”
Initially her family were worried about how Pete would maintain her joyful spirit, “we were worried about her still being happy, that was the most important thing to consider.”