Breaking Taboos: Older Australians talk about mental health

David Menadue is one of the longest surviving people with AIDS in Australia. David has overcome many AIDS-related illnesses since he was positively diagnosed with HIV in 1984. He was 32 years old at the time.

David has lived a much longer life than many expected him to. He puts this down to a few things, but what he believes has had the biggest impact on him, is the unwavering and ongoing support he received from his family and friends. 

This episode contains discussions of difficult subject matter. Please take care while listening. Below are contacts and links to some support services (Australia-Wide):

Please share these contacts with participants:

• Lifeline – 13 11 14 | www.lifeline.org.au
• Beyond Blue – 1300 22 4636 | www.beyondblue.org.au
• ACON - community health, inclusion and HIV responses for people of diverse sexualities and genders
• Older Persons Mental Health Services – Check with your local health district
• Carer Gateway – 1800 422 737 | Support for those caring for older adults
• Head to Health – www.headtohealth.gov.au for finding local mental health services

Grief is a common and yet unique experience for all of us. Listening to people share their experiences - the various ways they’ve responded - can deepen our understanding of the grieving process. 

This episode - Dealing with Grief - is the story of Linda, a woman whose journey through unimaginable loss speaks to the power of creativity, resilience, and healing. 

This episode contains discussions of difficult subject matter. Please take care while listening. Below are contacts and links to some support services (Australia-wide):

• Lifeline – 13 11 14 | www.lifeline.org.au
• Beyond Blue – 1300 22 4636 | www.beyondblue.org.au
• Older Persons Mental Health Services – Check with your local health district
• Carer Gateway – 1800 422 737 | Support for those caring for older adults
• Head to Health – www.headtohealth.gov.au for finding local mental health service
• Griefline 1300 845 745

In this episode - Intergenerational Living - our producer Helene Thomas visits a mother-and-daughter sharehouse.

It was eight years ago that Elizabeth’s daughter was looking for a housemate. Elizabeth was in her mid 50s, and she was also looking for a place to live, so they moved in together. Turns out they are the best of housemates. They live in a rental in inner-city Perth, Western Australia.

When Elizabeth isn’t working as a casual librarian she spends a lot of her time keeping physically fit and participating in activities that encourage social connection. 

Looking after her mental and physical health is something Elizabeth takes very seriously. Both mother and daughter have diagnosed mental health conditions and their living arrangement provides a supportive and nurturing environment for each of them. 

 Just a warning - there’s some strong language here.

This episode contains discussions of difficult subject matter. Please take care while listening. Below are contacts and links to mental health support services (Australia-wide):

• Lifeline – 13 11 14 | www.lifeline.org.au
• Beyond Blue – 1300 22 4636 | www.beyondblue.org.au
• Older Persons Mental Health Services – Check with your local health district
• Carer Gateway – 1800 422 737 | Support for those caring for older adults
• Head to Health – www.headtohealth.gov.au for finding local mental health services

Throughout his life Fred has always been the captain of his own ship. As a business owner he had a lot of confidence in his abilities and was regarded as an upstanding citizen in his local community. 

When he was in his mid-50s, Fred found himself in a situation where a business partnership soured and he was forced to retire early.

He describes his retirement as going from “the boss to the feather duster”. Fred felt he’d lost his sense of identity and this impacted his mental health.

In this episode, Fred talks about this experience for the first time. He has chosen a pseudonym for this reason. 

We also hear from Anthony Hegarty from TOMNET, The Older Mens Network based out of Toowoomba in Queensland. Anthony supports men into retirement, helping them find meaning and purpose again.

This episode contains discussions of difficult subject matter. Please take care while listening. Below are contacts and links to mental health support services (Australia-wide):

• Lifeline – 13 11 14 | www.lifeline.org.au
• Beyond Blue – 1300 22 4636 | www.beyondblue.org.au
• Older Persons Mental Health Services – Check with your local health district
• Carer Gateway – 1800 422 737 | Support for those caring for older adults
• Head to Health – www.headtohealth.gov.au for finding local mental health services

Transgender woman Kathy Mansfield shares her experience of depression at the age of 62, right at the cusp of her gender journey. We learn through Kathy’s living experience that as well as feeling liberated from living authentically, there are unique challenges some older adults face when transitioning.

Kathy is from rural Victoria, and she’s now in her late 70s. She lives with her wife who she’s been married to for just over 50 years.

Kathy applied her own experience to develop a resource to support older people changing their gender identity or expression. It’s called Ripplegrams, and it recognises that relationships with intimate partners, siblings, children and grandchildren can all be impacted when a person changes their gender identity or expression. The resource helps people plan for these changes and recognise the intended and unintended consequences of transition in families. 

The themes raised in this episode include depression and suicide.

Please take care when listening to this episode and seek support if needed. Below are contacts and links to mental health support services (Australia-wide):

• Lifeline – 13 11 14 | www.lifeline.org.au
• Beyond Blue – 1300 22 4636 | www.beyondblue.org.au
• Older Persons Mental Health Services – Check with your local health district
• Carer Gateway – 1800 422 737 | Support for those caring for older adults
• Head to Health – www.headtohealth.gov.au for finding local mental health services

In some cultures, men are socially encouraged and trained to not to talk openly about what they are feeling and experiencing, seeing any kind of vulnerability as a weakness. This has been the case for the two men who feature in this episode: Crying doesn’t make you soft it makes you human.

Keith Smith is from a rural setting in southern Tasmania. Peter Grumley was raised in regional Queensland. Keith and Peter talk about how they grew up with messages like ‘boys don’t cry’ and ‘toughen up’. 

Both men have  experienced depression and it was when they were in their 40s and 50s that they began to share their feelings with people they trusted. As members of different men’s groups, Keith and Peter now encourage other men to openly talk about what’s going on in their lives. 

This episode contains discussions of difficult subject matter. Please take care while listening. Below are contacts and links to mental health support services (Australia-wide):

• Lifeline – 13 11 14 | www.lifeline.org.au
• Beyond Blue – 1300 22 4636 | www.beyondblue.org.au
• Older Persons Mental Health Services – Check with your local health district
• Carer Gateway – 1800 422 737 | Support for those caring for older adults
• Head to Health – www.headtohealth.gov.au for finding local mental health services

In this episode we are taken to a choir rehearsal and fishing club meeting in Hervey Bay Queensland. And an exercise class at a village hub in Perth, Western Australia.

The two women we’ll be hearing from value social connection and staying active as they get older. Both are in their 60s.

Anne from Hervey Bay, not her real name, has joined fishing and singing groups. These give her a sense of belonging and keep her life varied and fun.

For Perth woman Susan, it’s attending her regular exercise classes and connecting with people, that have saved her life. Everything changed when she lost her husband.

This episode contains discussions of difficult subject matter. Please take care while listening. 

Below are contacts and links to mental health support services (Australia-wide):

• Lifeline – 13 11 14 | www.lifeline.org.au
• Beyond Blue – 1300 22 4636 | www.beyondblue.org.au
• Older Persons Mental Health Services – Check with your local health district
• Carer Gateway – 1800 422 737 | Support for those caring for older adults
• Head to Health – www.headtohealth.gov.au for finding local mental health services

In this episode - Don’t want to be a burden - we hear from two women, one almost  90-year-old and the other is in her late 70s. The women have chosen to use a pseudonym for this podcast, and so we are calling them Kay and Eva.

Kay and Eva have both experienced their fair share of hardships throughout their lives, but have chosen to keep these experiences to themselves, so as not to burden others with what they’re going through.

The women talk about how they navigate getting older and the strategies they use to get through difficult times. 

Kay lives in Perth, Western Australia. Our producer Helene Thomas met her at Connect Victoria Park, a centre that offers a range of healthy aging programs. Eva lives in Hobart, Tasmania, and we met her through University of the Third Age, an organisation that provides courses on everything from German to astronomy.

This episode contains discussions of difficult subject matter. Please take care while listening. 

Below are contacts and links to mental health support services (Australia-wide):

• Lifeline – 13 11 14 | www.lifeline.org.au
• Beyond Blue – 1300 22 4636 | www.beyondblue.org.au
• Older Persons Mental Health Services – Check with your local health district
• Carer Gateway – 1800 422 737 | Support for those caring for older adults
• Head to Health – www.headtohealth.gov.au for finding local mental health services

Some people go through life without ever experiencing any mental health conditions. But what happens when you suddenly find yourself in your late 80s feeling depressed and anxious for the first time. 

In this episode, 'First time depression as an octogenarian', we learn how physical changes can lead to big emotions. How do you make sense of these overwhelming feelings? Who do you talk to? What actions do you take? 

This happened to Alan Price. He lives one hour north east of Melbourne with his partner. 

Alan opens up to us about his depression and the effects his stroke has had on his life. He talks about how difficult it can be to find the words to describe his feelings. He hopes sharing his story will help someone who is struggling.

This episode contains discussions of difficult subject matter. Please take care while listening. 

Below are some details to mental health support services (Australia-wide):

• Lifeline – 13 11 14 | www.lifeline.org.au
• Beyond Blue – 1300 22 4636 | www.beyondblue.org.au
• Older Persons Mental Health Services – Check with your local health district
• Carer Gateway – 1800 422 737 | Support for those caring for older adults
• Head to Health – www.headtohealth.gov.au for finding local mental health services

For this episode - The pursuit of happiness, our producer Helene Thomas spent time inside an aged care home in southern Tasmania.

Every Wednesday morning, retirees Geoff Atkins and Phil Hoysted play a game of trivial pursuit with some of the residents there. The activity room turns into a hot-bed of competitiveness and cheekiness, making it the highlight of the week.

We meet Alan and Margaret, both lovers of the trivial pursuit extravaganza, and both are very appreciative of Geoff and Phil volunteering their time. 

Alan and Margaret share what it was like moving into the home and how they find living there.

The bonds that have been formed between Geoff, Phil and the residents have made a profound difference to their lives and help them navigate the ups and downs of ageing.