In this heartfelt and insightful episode, hosts Darsh Ayton and Sarah Carmody speak with Professor Helen Rawson, a registered nurse and deputy head of Monash University's School of Nursing and Midwifery. Helen shares her personal journey as a carer for her mother living with dementia and reflects on how her cultural background and early experiences shaped her lifelong commitment to nursing and aged care.

Key topics include:

• Helen’s lived experience of caring for her mother with dementia across continents.
• The importance of knowing the person to deliver truly person-centered care.
• Differences between nursing in acute hospital settings vs. residential aged care.
• The critical role registered nurses play in advocacy—for residents, families, and the aged care workforce.
• Insights into grief experienced by aged care staff and the need for peer-based support.
• A pioneering infection prevention and control project co-designed with residents, families and staff in residential aged care.
• Helen’s advice for nursing students and new graduates about working with older adults.

This episode is a powerful reminder of the complexity, compassion, and leadership required in dementia care—and how registered nurses are at the forefront of providing this care.

Learn more about Helen’s work at the links below:

https://www.monash.edu/medicine/nursing/about/staff/helen-rawson

https://www.monash.edu/medicine/national-centre-for-healthy-ageing/living-labs/a-precise-study