New podcast launch
Merseyside Dementia Friendly Radio (MDFR) has released its first episode of its bimonthly podcast aimed at people affected by dementia.
Titled ‘The Dementia Download’, the podcast will run alongside MDFR’s dementia-friendly broadcast, which has served local people living with the condition since 2020. The podcast series is possible thanks to a National Lottery Community Fund grant.
Each episode of ‘The Dementia Download’ will be narrated by ex-BBC Radio Merseyside and current MDFR presenter Roger Hill.
‘I have worked in the field of dementia for some time and, for me, public awareness of the challenges and opportunities involved is crucial to getting support and funding for this sector. I expect that these podcasts will help in raising that awareness, and MDFR is a great organisation to produce them’, says Roger Hill.
The monthly episodes will conduct an in-depth exploration of how dementia impacts different aspects of life.
Using interviews with health professionals, academics, and perspectives from people diagnosed with dementia and their carers, themes will include music, gender, wellbeing, dying, representations of dementia in media, and the relationships between different ethnic communities and the condition.
Alongside the monthly episodes will feature shorter audio leaflets, produced in partnership with Liverpool John Moores University, with information and guidance on a variety of topics, such as 'What Is Dementia?', 'Caring for Carers', as well as focussing on different types of dementia: Alzheimer's, vascular, and Lewy body.
Nat Gavin, founder and station manager of MDFR, says: ‘One of the nicest things about this process has been getting out there and reconnecting with the dementia community, and finding out about all the new and continuing projects that are in development.’
As a non-profit that does not broadcast or profit off of radio advertisements – which the station views as manipulative, forceful, and detrimental to the wellbeing of a person with dementia – MDFR’s survival relies on voluntary work, the occasional grant, and the goodwill of the general public. MDFR would welcome any donations to support its ongoing work.
