Specialist dementia care in action: Pat and Tito’s story

“Wherever I go, everyone asks, ‘how’s your husband?’ And Lady Lourdes is all I talk about, sharing how good this place is,” says Pat Tapungao.

Pat, a retired nurse, aged 77, has been with her husband Tito, 84, for over 50 years. The couple met on a ship to Australia from Tuvalu in 1966 and married in 1972 in Essendon.

Over the years, the Tapungao home became known for its warmth and generosity. Tito’s open-door policy and caring spirit had the family joking it was more like a ‘half-way house’ - always welcoming anyone in need.

In 2016, Tito, a former CEO of the Maritime School in Tuvalu, was diagnosed with dementia. Tito’s daughter and son moved back home to help Pat care for Tito. As his symptoms progressed, they looked into respite, to give both Tito and themselves time to rest.

Although dementia effects over half of aged care residents, finding an aged care residence that could support Tito’s specific needs proved challenging and emotionally taxing. The turning point came when Tito was accepted into Lady Lourdes House, part of VMCH St Bernadette’s Aged Care Residence in Sunshine North.

Funded by the Australian Government’s Specialist Dementia Care Program (SDCP), Lady Lourdes is purpose-built for residents with severe behavioural and psychological symptoms of dementia. Unlike many high-care units, it focuses on stabilising symptoms so residents can transition to mainstream aged care within 12 months.

Tito’s daughter Miriani, an assessor for the Australian National Aged Care Classification, immediately knew it was the right fit. She was so confident about Lady Lourdes that Pat didn’t even feel the need to take a tour.

It is definitely a homey environment,” says Miriani. “And I felt like that was one of the (positive) things for Dad; when he moved in, he changed. It was because he was in a home-like place.”

Once Tito settled into Lady Lourdes, his family marvelled at the change to his quality of life. Even his psychiatrist couldn’t believe he was the same person, especially with no changes to his medication.

“We utilise non-pharmacological interventions as a first line of action’ says Sue Adhikari, Lady Lourdes Unit Coordinator, “and work on minimising people’s triggers to help manage behavioural and psychological symptoms of dementia. We provide them with person-centred care and treat everybody as unique individuals.”

Pat and Miriani were impressed with the care and attention Lady Lourdes staff showed Tito, drawing out that familiar ‘twinkle’ in his eyes. ‘‘And I love the way, when the staff say ‘hello’ to him, he’ll just smile and you know he’s happy,” says Pat.

When it came time for Tito to transition to mainstream care, the family felt nervous but were reassured by the ‘fantastic’ support from Lady Lourdes staff.

Pat and Miriani, both with backgrounds as nurses, understand the importance of specialised dementia care and believe five SDCP homes in Victoria simply isn’t enough. “I just want more homes like this place,” says Pat. “You can tell that Tito’s happy, and that’s the main thing.”

If you’d like to learn more about dementia care at VMCH, call 1300 698 624.