Memory at play- Enjoying a feast of foods and educational discussion: Angel Grace Varakulasing

By Lia Bichel
FIFTY people from five different ethnic backgrounds feasted on international cuisine and discussed the relationship between food and memory.
The special multicultural feast was held at The City of Casey Civic Centre, Narre Warren, as part of a series of Taste to Remember events run by Alzheimer’s Australia Vic.
This is Taste to Remember’s debut in Casey, as the event has been held in Dandenong for the past three years.
People from Tamil, Romanian, Turkish, Serbian and Filipino communities ate, were entertained with musical acts from different cultures, and discussed memory changes.
Trish O’Brien of Alzheimer’s Australia Vic said The Tastes to Remember concept was based on the idea that food plays an important role in many cultures and that it was also an integral part of everyone’s memory.
“The ethnic population is ageing rapidly and we are seeing increasing numbers of people from ethnic backgrounds diagnosed with dementia,” Ms O’Brien said.
“Of the estimated 60,000 people with the illness in Victoria a significant proportion are from ethnic backgrounds- in fact one in six people with dementia do not speak English at home.”
“We also know that people from ethnic backgrounds often receive a later diagnosis of dementia. This can be due to the stigma associated with the illness in their culture which often prevents people talking to their doctor about memory concerns.”
The event, funded by State Trustees, is run by the South East Dementia Action Group of which Alzheimer’s Australia Vic is a member.