Cerebral Amyloid Angiopathy Symptoms: Let's talk about it.

 Compassion and Connection can come from surprising places. Some time ago I presented to Accident and Emergency with mild chest pain. I was not concerned but thought that it was prudent to have it checked out as we are always being told. I was not surprised that my cardiac function was fine.  The staff did a couple of other tests and while waiting for the results of these, one of the A and E doctors came to see me to have a chat. I mentioned that my husband had Cerebral Amyloid Angiopathy and I had recently started taking an anti depressant and that it was probably just some physical manifestation of mild anxiety. What did surprise me was his reaction when hearing of my circumstances. He took one look at me, went and shut the door to the cubicle and pulled up a chair and said to me with such sensitivity "that is a horrible, horrible disease". Most medical and other practitioners that I and my husband come across have never heard of the condition. Not only did he immediately u...

In 2024, the Australian Bureau of Statistics reported that there were 3 million carers in Australia representing 11.9% of all Australians living in households. The contribution, generally unpaid or underpaid, of families who care for a loved one is overwhelming when looking at the statistics in Australia and beyond.The lived experience of every carer is different. Over many years there are a lot of organisations that have been established to support carers in lots of different ways. When my husband was diagnosed with CAA, and as it continued to impact his and our lives, I looked for avenues that potentially could assist me and where I could share my experiences. But where....? There are support groups for people with aphasia and their families, support groups for people who care for someone who has had a stroke and support groups for carers of loved ones with dementia.  All of these were relevant in part to some of the issues that I was dealing with. However, none of them really re...