Memory Walk & Jog Community Champion Peter Barclay pictured with (from left) his sister Yvonne Pino, their 90-year-old mum ”Dodi” (Dorothy), and Peter’s wife Dot Barclay at Goodwin House, Ainslie. Photos: Goodwin.
Peter Barclay cherishes the fact he can still put his arms around his mum, give her a cuddle and hear her voice.
“Even though we can’t have big conversations, she recognises me and that’s something I savour,” says the founder and owner of Irish pub King O’Malley’s.
Every time he pops in to see 90-year-old ”Dodi” (Dorothy) at Goodwin House, Ainslie, Peter says the visit “is a real pleasure”.
That’s because when he has to leave, he knows his mum is safe and being exceptionally well cared for in the Canberra aged-care provider’s Memory Support Unit.
Having a lived experience of caring for a family member with dementia is one of the key reasons Peter is throwing his support behind Canberra’s Memory Walk & Jog fundraiser on 22 February for Dementia Australia.
In 2025 in the ACT alone, an estimated 6100 people were living with dementia, with that figure projected to increase to an estimated 12,300 by 2054.
As one of the Community Champions for Goodwin, which is sponsoring the ACT event, Peter is urging staff, residents, families and the wider community to help outpace dementia with a 2 km, 5 km walk/jog or 10 km timed run around the foreshore of Lake Burley Griffin on 22 February.
Team Goodwin is hoping to beat its $63,450 record-breaking total from last year and has set a cracking $100,000 target for the event, which aims to raise awareness and take steps towards ensuring better care, further research and hope for families and individuals facing this disease.
As part of local efforts, Goodwin has created a friendly Suburb Showdown between its sites and has also encouraged local schools, cafes, clubs and community groups to join the challenge.
With an estimated 447, 000 Australians living with dementia and a further 1.7 million people involved in their care, the reality is everyone in the community will be impacted by dementia in some way, says Erik Boddeus, Goodwin’s executive manager retirement living, property and development.
Erik says that as a local aged-care provider at the forefront of dementia care — whether through independent living options, residential facilities or its memory support units — Goodwin is invested in supporting events that elevate awareness around a critical community issue.
“We know that more than 70 per cent of residents living in aged-care facilities have some form of dementia,” he says. “Unfortunately, it’s a growing health crisis, which means that across the broader community, we all have a role to play in understanding and breaking down the stigma around dementia.
“I was really encouraged to see [dementia pioneer] Professor Henry Brodaty named Senior Australian of the Year in this year’s Australia Day Awards.”
Supporters during last year’s Memory Walk & Jog in Canberra for Dementia Australia’s annual fundraising event. This year, Goodwin will truly paint the town purple at the event on 22 February.
Goodwin will host in-house practice walks at each of its villages on 12 February so that residents have the opportunity to be part of the event even if they are unable to be there on the day.
Both Peter and Erik agree these initiatives present a wonderful opportunity for young and old to connect, build bonds and quite literally walk down memory lane together.
Peter and his family have experienced firsthand the “difficult and often confronting” challenges that come when you’re constantly caring for someone with dementia.
And while he knows everyone’s experience is different, his hope is that by walking and talking together, people will understand they are not alone.
“For many years, my mum also looked after my grandmother, who had dementia,” he says.
“But 20 years ago, no-one spoke about dementia — it was a terrible thing.
“Mum devoted herself to [my grandmother] for five or six years and absolutely became exhausted … it took a real toll on her.”
When his dad died 10 years ago, Peter’s mum came to live with his wife and their two daughters.
For the first few years, the family managed “but it was hard work” when you have to constantly keep someone entertained and can’t leave them by themselves, he says.
“When the time came to look for residential care, we went to Goodwin because we had heard so much about it and so many positive stories from families and friends,” Peter says.
Their mum started in residential care (just before COVID), but when she began to deteriorate a little more, Goodwin gently steered the family to more specialist support, according to Peter.
“The advice came that Mum needs a little bit of extra care and that they have this section called the Memory Support Unit. The staff are just incredible people and they love working there,” he says.
The move to Goodwin has provided not only comfort but also the opportunity for greater connection, according to Peter.
“What we know is that for 24 hours a day, Mum is being looked after — she’s getting her meals, showers and her medication, but most importantly she’s never alone,” he says.
“So, if she wakes up at two in the morning — like she used to at our house — she can go and get a cup of tea, she can chat to people and she’s cared for.”
It’s meant the family can take the time to really enjoy and appreciate the time left with their beloved Dodi.
Peter has been taking voice recordings and little videos — including one of his mum dancing and singing along happily to carols at the Christmas party — during her past few years at Goodwin.
Precious memories that will last a lifetime.
To register for the Canberra event (on Sunday, 22 February, at Stage 88, Parkes) or to lend your support by donation, visit the Team Goodwin webpage.
