My name is Bernard Silva and I am a dementia counsellor which means I specialise in counselling people with dementia and their carers/support people.

I have worked as a dementia counsellor since 2011. Prior to that, for a number of years, I worked as a family counsellor in the area of drug and alcohol rehabilitation.

I have a deep and ongoing interest in helping people with dementia to live as well and as independently as possible within the limits of their disease and in helping their families to cope with the challenges involved.

In my time at Dementia Australia I had the chance to work with people for the duration of their illness and at times continued to work with some families after the person with dementia had died. This enabled me to gain a deep understanding of the issues that people with dementia and their support people faced.

Before I retrained to become a counsellor, in my mid 30s, I worked as a written and verbal communications specialist and can appreciate what it’s like to try and hold down a job while trying to support yourself and family members going through challenges.

Qualifications and experience

I have a Graduate Diploma in Counselling and a Degree in Communications. As a dementia counsellor I have delivered hundreds of talks to community groups and members of the general public on many important topics related to dementia including but not only: ·

• What is Dementia?

• Living with Dementia

• Living with Young Onset dementia

• Grief, loss and Dementia

• Is it Delirium or Depression or Dementia?

• Dementia, Parkinsons and Lewy Body Disease

• Bathing and Dementia

• Driving and Dementia

• Communication and Dementia

• Understanding Changes in Behaviors

• Activities for people with Dementia

• Dementia and the Caring Role

• Considering residential care

While working at Dementia Australia I also:

• co-developed the “Blokes in the Caring Role” (a 4 week group program for male carers with weekly 3 hour groups sessions) program at Dementia Australia and delivered that program for them for many years

• contributed to the development of Dementia Australia’s website for carers: Help with Dementia (This is an archived copy of the website)

• was involved in video role plays, one of which is available at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xQgEy2KRYC8

• counselled many hundreds of people with many different types of dementia and their family and friends

• delivered hundreds of psychological education seminars, across all of the subjects offered by Dementia Australia

• facilitated many psychological education groups that run from 4 weeks to 8 weeks (usually between 1 ½ to 3 hours per session).

I look forward to hearing from you and helping you to cope with the challenges of dementia.

About Me