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Trail blazing for dementia
Photo : Sarah Pettenon
A nurse has taken on the Kokoda Trail to raise funds for dementia care .
Sarah Pettenon interviewed by Dallas Bastian
Alzheimer ’ s Australia recently put out a call for people passionate about fighting dementia to walk the Kokoda Trail in aid of research and support . Registered nurse Sarah Pettenon answered the challenge .
Pettenon , manager of person directed care at Lifeview Residential Care , joined a small group of volunteers , including her colleague , chief financial officer James van Beek , on the expedition . Over 10 days , the party hiked the single-file trail that links Papua New Guinea ’ s mountainous centre to Owers ’ Corner near Port Moresby .
Both of Lifeview ’ s trekkers helped the provider ’ s staff members , residents and families in their fundraising efforts , including the raffling of a trailer full of household goods worth about $ 3000 . The team said all funds raised will go directly to Alzheimer ’ s Australia Vic .
Pettenon , who specialises in the care of people living with dementia , said she walked the trail because she witnesses daily the impact dementia has on individuals and their carers .
Aged Care Insite spoke with Pettenon about the gruelling trek and what she hopes people think about when it comes to dementia care .
ACI : What were those first days like on the trail ? SP : Well , we had a very early start . We had to be at an airport in Port Moresby to fly to Kokoda . We arrived in Kokoda around
8.30am , where we met porters and the trek leader . Then we went to a little place called Hoi . It was very hot – 38 degrees – and when we first started at the Arches of the beginning of the Kokoda Trail , I think we were all just trying to acclimatise to the heat . We were out in the sun , and I think we all had a headache that evening , just because we needed to drink more and just adjust to the whole environment .
We were probably a little bit apprehensive . We didn ’ t know anyone until that morning , or the night before where we met the remaining trekkers and our guide . I think we set off feeling quite apprehensive and nervous . Just the heat , it really did hit you in the face .
The trail is 96 kilometres , and you walked in it 10 days . What did you find most challenging about it ? I suppose the toilet facilities were a main topic of conversation among the trekkers . You just had to overcome your anxiety around the toilet facilities and move on .
Physically , I felt I had prepared and done quite a bit of training prior to going to Kokoda . I felt I was up to the challenges of the terrain . Going downhill was definitely tough on your knees . I had to take Nurofen a couple of times to overcome that discomfort .
Mentally , I felt day five was my toughest day . We were heading in the right direction but we went further than we were supposed to , and our guide had to say to the trek leader : “ Look , we ’ ve actually gone further than we were meant to . We need to backtrack .” That kind of threw me into a bit of a spin mentally . At that point , I had to put some music on and just listen to it with my headphones , because I just needed to have something to distract me .
30 agedcareinsite . com . au