Those teeny-tiny pop stars The Veronicas were in Canberra this week for a deeply personal reason, being named the latest ambassadors for Dementia Australia, an emotional tribute to their mother, who was recently diagnosed with the disease.
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The twin sisters, Jessica and Lisa Origliasso, spoke movingly at an event at Parliament House on Wednesday with fellow ambassador Ita Buttrose.
“Until we went through this with our mum and started talking to others about dementia, we had no idea of the enormity of the issue and just how many other people are going through what our family is, every day,” the sisters said.
“After four years of misdiagnosis, we were heartbroken when we received the diagnosis and found it difficult to find information about what was going on. We felt so powerless.
“But by talking openly about it, and sharing our story, we hope we can let others know they are not alone and that there is help and support available.''
“For anyone who is either diagnosed with dementia, or who has a loved one who has a diagnosis with dementia, and you don’t know where to turn, a really good starting point is calling Dementia Australia on the National Dementia Helpline on 1800 100 500.”
Jessica and Lisa, 33, were joined by Ita Buttrose, one of Dementia Australia’s longest-serving ambassadors, at the Parliamentary Friends of Dementia meeting, along with Dementia Australia CEO MareeMcCabe. They encouraged Members of Parliament to become a Dementia Friend.
“The Dementia Friends program is a social movement to help build awareness of dementia among the community,” Ms Buttrose said.
“People living with dementia tell us that that a lack of knowledge or understanding of the condition among the general public and how it can impact people can be really quite isolating.
“When you sign up to become a Dementia Friend, you hear directly from people with dementia about what dementia is, how the condition impacts them and the small changes that can have a big impact on making a community more dementia-friendly.
“A better understanding of dementia will empower people to do small, everyday things that can make a big difference to someone with dementia.”
The stars also thrilled staff at the Off London studio in the heart of Canberra where they got their hair done before the event on Wednesday.
Co-owners, brother and sister team, Luke Whittle and Annalise Gocevski were blown away to have the Veronicas in their salon.
"We couldn't have been happier, they were lovely, such down-to-earth people,'' Luke said.
"At first I thought it was a gee-up, because I'm always playing pranks on the staff. But it was such a confidence booster for the stylists and we were so blessed to have them in our salon, it really perked everyone up.''
Natasha Maeseele and Rebecca Gallagher had the honour of tending to the tresses of the chart-toppers.
And, yes, there were selfies.
"We probably went a bit over the top,'' Luke said, with a laugh.
The Veronicas, meanwhile, told the Parliament House meeting that their mother Colleen, now 70, was initially diagnosed with anxiety and depression and "heavily sedated'' with drugs. Her symptoms included confusion, paranoia, hallucinations and fear.
"We really fought for her to get off these drugs and be assessed,'' Lisa said.
Her mother felt "in her heart'' that diagnosis of anxiety and depression was incorrect and the sisters were relieved and confronted when it was finally confirmed she had dementia. They wanted a wider community conversation about what dementia could mean, including possible symptoms.
"We are 33-year-old women and we didn't know much about dementia beyond memory loss,'' Jessica said.
Lisa and Jessica said their mother had discovered a creative side since her diagnosis, taking up painting. But her love for music always shone through. She had even encouraged her daughters to get back to writing music so she had new songs to listen to.
"It's just so beautiful to see the effect music has on her, it is very soothing for her,'' Jessica said, adding her mother had lived an incredible life and had a lot more ahead of her.
