Illawarra's dementia advocate that the years cannot stop
Val Fell said she was going to retire at 90 ... then 95. She's now celebrating two decades of helping to fight an increasingly common challenge
At 97 years young, Val Fell OAM shows no signs of slowing down. Recently named as one of the NSW 2026 Local Women of the Year, Val was recognised for her tireless work as a dementia advocate – a mission that began two decades ago when her husband was diagnosed.
“The day he was diagnosed, I joined Alzheimer's NSW… this year, I’m celebrating 20 years as a dementia advocate,” Val says.
"I keep on saying I'm going to retire... I said I was going to retire when I was 90, then 95... I'll see if I can keep going 'til I'm 100."
Despite her impressive resume, Val says she was “astonished” to receive the award from Keira MP Ryan Park. Val sat among NSW Local Women of the Year winners, including Tamantha Stutchbury (Wollongong), Neridah Armstrong (Heathcote) and Corinne Boyle (Shellharbour) at a breakfast at ICC Sydney.
"It astonished me. But it was great, the whole thing was very well planned ... for every electorate, there were people getting the local award,” Val says.
“I immediately thought there'd been a typo about the 7am start time... I thought, 'Oh god, is it worth it?' – because I'm not an early morning person!"
Throughout her journey as an advocate, Val has prioritised education, completing two massive open online courses (MOOC) with the Wicking Dementia Research Education Centre and enrolling in a Bachelor of Dementia Care at the University of Tasmania in her early 90s.
Val laughs that she’s taken a “gap year” from her formal studies, focusing on her work with the Aged Car Council of Elders, where she has spent four years representing the voices of senior Australians to the federal government. In February, Val also became a life member of the Australian Institute for Intergenerational Practice (AIIP), working to bridge the gap between children and the elderly through shared activities and mutual learning.
"I rang Tasmania and said... 'I really can’t fit it in anymore. I’ll have a break while I’m on the Council of Elders.' Now I’ve come to the conclusion that I don’t really think I need to go back and do the degree... I’ve got the experience and I’ve got research to read when I want to and I’ve had four gap years!” she says.
"It’s all about making people aware of the difficulties that occur for older people... and showing that the wisdom of the elders is still a very important part of life.”
For 13 years, Val has led the Corrimal Dementia Carers support group, sharing information and experiences with those caring for loved ones with the disease. This group started with Val completing a group leader’s course with Dementia Australia and gathering six people. Today, the group sees more than 20 regular attendees at their monthly meetings.
Not only can the person with dementia become socially isolated – carers become socially isolated because they quite often can't leave the person they're with unless they can get respite, which is very difficult to get.
"It keeps people together, they all become friends... and they all get together and talk, and it’s social interaction. They learn from one another."
Val is acutely aware of the systemic issues facing older Australians. While she praises the principles of the Aged Care Act, she is vocal about the failures in its implementation, particularly rising costs of services such as transport and home care.
"The mistake the government made was not capping fees on the first of November. People are having to choose between one essential service and another, even those that are grandfathered,” she says.
“The value of the package hasn't gone up financially – the same amount of money is there – but it doesn't buy the same number of services.
“The statements you get are just ridiculous. I'm still waiting for the book that's going to come out to tell me how to read the book that told me how to read the statement! It's too complicated, too frustrating.”
She is also advocating for a non-clinical assessment pathway, suggesting that GPs should be empowered to authorise basic support such as mobility aids or continence packages to cut down wait times for government assessments.
"Why can't your GP do the initial form for you to enter the pre-support at home program? It gets you into the system. We should use the workforce that is already in existence."
Val is busy organising the 15th Annual Illawarra Dementia Forum, to be held on September 9. This year’s event will include guest speakers from Dementia Australia and the government, an expo for service providers and a bus running from Nowra to assist with transport.
"Prior to COVID, we got up to 400 [attendees] and last year we got back to 350. We'll have a facilitated conversation with a person with dementia. It's a great opportunity to ask questions."
The forum has grown significantly from its first year in 2012, when 150 people attended. This year will delve deeper into research regarding behaviour in the later stages of dementia.
