Adam Moroney ran the multi-million-dollar finances of international airlines, including as the Chief Financial Officer of Air New Zealand after serving as an executive at Qantas.
When Air New Zealand’s subsidiary, Ansett Airlines, collapsed in 2001, Adam had a pivotal role - aged in his 30s - crafting a financial strategy to keep Air New Zealand afloat.
By any measure, Adam, a huge Collingwood fan, was a high-flying young man.
But in 2018, aged just 56, Adam was diagnosed with a younger onset form of Alzheimer’s disease. His symptoms worsened at unusually fast speed. Within two years, Robyn, his wife of more than 30 years, could not care for him at home.
By 2022, Adam had been rejected – Robyn said “kicked out’ - by two aged care homes for his restlessness, occasional aggression and refusal of care. There were long inpatient stays in hospital as the search went on for the right support.
Robyn said: “They would blame Adam for his behaviours. The staff would contact me about him like he was a naughty school child who could be reasoned with to change his behaviour.”
In September 2022, Adam was assessed as being suitable for a place with the 8-bed Turner Cottage at HammondCare Caulfield dementia care village by Dementia Support Australia (DSA). In Robyn’s words: “It saved his life.”
The cottage is part of the Special Dementia Care Program (SDCP), a Commonwealth-funded program for people with “very severe” behavioural and psychological symptoms – about one per cent of people living with dementia.
There are now 24 SDCP units around Australia - five in Victoria - managed by a range of providers with 35 planned nationally. Each unit provides care, in small household surroundings. Multidisciplinary teams work with government services and DSA. HammondCare runs eight of the SDCP units with one soon to open at North Turramurra.
New research on the SDCP, published in Australasian Journal on Ageing, has found “limited yet promising evidence” that these units are enhancing resident outcomes, with some individuals transitioning to mainstream care.
The units could play a crucial role in addressing systemic challenges in dementia care, “particularly in the role of reducing hospital bed block associated with a lack of suitable care options for people experiencing very severe BPSD”, the researchers noted.
A feature of Adam’s dementia-related behaviours was incessant pacing, leading to fatigue. A sign of his distress was when he started walking faster, increasing to almost running. He would misinterpret the actions of others in his path.
“The changes in medication together with the strategies put in place helped Adam’s distress, allowing staff to support him with personal care and offering opportunity for to meaningfully engage with others,” Dr Healy said.
Adam was helped to rest after seven hours of being awake, later reducing that to five hours, leading to fewer incidents. Early wake-up calls for personal care were stopped. There was emphasis on meaningful activities, like watering plants, and conversations about his family and his Collingwood Magpies.
After just under a year, Adam moved to a mainstream cottage at HammondCare Caulfield. “His behaviours have stabilised, and his quality of life has improved sharply,” Dr Healy said. Robyn is unsure now if her husband still recognises her, but sometimes he reaches out for her hand during her visits.
The couple married in 1988 after crossing paths at Arthur Young & Co, now EY. Early on, Adam shared his dream to retire in his 40s. He retired at 42, financially secure, and enjoyed spending time with family, pottering around and exploring his family history – an experience that led to a short documentary with Ancestry.com.
Robyn said she would like to see more people, like Adam, benefit from the kind of support offered by SDCP units. And she is passionate about the need for a better understanding of people diagnosed with dementia younger in life.
She believes a heart attack in 2010, when Adam was almost 48, may have been the catalyst for his dementia. “Someone in their 50s or 60s needing care should not be with people in their 80s or 90s. They have different care needs. We need more younger onset dementia beds,” Robyn said.
HammondCare CEO Andrew Thorburn said the SDCP units were improving quality of life to people like Adam – but there were limited beds. “These units are really working. We’d obviously like to see all 35 planned units rolled out as soon as possible,” Mr Thorburn said.
“There should be an evaluation to assess whether we should have more of these units to address growing demand, especially in regions where there is a shortage of beds and hospitals are struggling with placement.” he said.