At 93, Australia’s oldest university student is busier than ever

I was out for dinner with a group of people recently. The waiter asked the first of us if she’d like a glass of wine and went through the list – white or red, still or sparkling – and poured it for her. When he got to me, a 93-year-old woman, his attitude changed.

“And would you like a cup of tea?” he asked.

To me, that’s the perfect example of the ageism that’s rampant in Australia today. And it’s my mission to draw people’s attention to it and make them rethink their attitudes to age and issues such as dementia. We need intergenerational education across primary, secondary and tertiary levels.

It’s interesting as those kids have incredible empathy with the older people...children don’t discriminate. That comes from the adults, who should know better.

Demystifying dementia is something I’m very passionate about. I joined Alzheimer’s NSW and in 2012 started a group to run annual dementia forums. We had 281 people turn up to the most recent one, our 10th event. It was also recorded and put online, so many more people will have seen it. I also run a carers’ support group as a volunteer. Before deciding to do the degree course, I completed online courses in dementia research and care, and short courses in dementia advocacy.