Mick Carmody has been living with FTD or frontotemporal dementia since age 57. We had the opportunity to catch up recently. He lives in Brisbane, Queensland and I, in Los Angeles, California. We hail from both hemispheres and from near-opposite points on Earth. We coordinated our 17-hour time difference across two days. He wanted to chat prior to breakfast, so I logged into ZOOM at 2PM my time (yesterday, for him), and he, at 7AM (the following morning for me).
Conference Speaker to Fall-Injuries with FTD
Sixty-six-year-old Mick manages living with FTD. Over the last half-decade, he has what he calls, “drop seizures.” These seem to occur over periods of time. During a recent six-month period, he’d endure up to 50 of these atonic seizures in one day. If standing, he’d collapse onto his left knee, and then drop onto his left shoulder. He’d also get vacant seizures. He explains that for a brief moment, he loses capacity to use his limbs and talk.
Four years ago, when I interviewed Mick, he wore a helmet to protect his head from greater injury.
Only a year earlier, he was speaking at a conference about what it’s like to live with dementia. That year, he received Dementia Alliance International’s first Richard Taylor Advocates Award named after Dr. Richard Taylor, co-founder of DAI who lived with Alzheimer’s and succumbed to cancer.
He’s managed to navigate life’s highs and lows.
Today, to avoid further injury, he uses a motorized wheelchair to get around because he says, “I have a habit of falling backward and landing on my head.”
Living on the Bay in an Aged-Care Home
His daughter found a newer aged-care home near Brisbane shortly after it opened. She mentioned it to Mick and his wife. After visiting they liked it and moved in. They were two of the initial residents. His wife, Sue, had triple-bypass surgery and lives with lung disease. Together they share a one-bedroom apartment.
He says his grown children visit almost every other week. They live about 90 kilometers (56 miles) away.
Artistic Pursuits Keep Mick’s Brain Active
He has embarked on a new hobby, painstakingly creating pyrography art. With the help of a maintenance worker at the aged-care home, he crafts beautiful art using scrap pieces of wood, from plywood to fallen trees, and driftwood.
The tiger pictured here took him 50 to 60 hours across as many as 200 15-minute sessions. He says he can only focus for about 15 minutes, carving using a metal tip to burn wood before he grows too exhausted.
Mick feels deservedly proud of his achievements despite his struggles. He adds, “It’s a classic example of people who say, ‘Poor me, I can’t do this.’ You can do whatever you choose to do. If it’s too hard, have a go at it. The worst you can do is fail.”
Video: See & Listen to Mick Carmody
We were talking about 30 minutes when I suggested we record a short segment. We recorded a quick 13-minute video to give you the opportunity to see how he’s managing with FTD and to provide some visuals with shared screen images. [I apologize now for feeling rushed and cutting off Mick several times… I wanted to cover so much in so little time.] Mick shares advice at the end for others living with dementia.
Mick Carmody and Brenda Avadian of The Caregiver’s Voice Catch Up
