Fridays with My Folks

Amal Awads life changed when her father was diagnosed with kidney failure. Seeing the impact it has had on him, both physically and mentally, and the way the side effects trickle into those around him, Mentally, it had an impact as he was unable to recover from his fresh grief at not having the same freedom to move and live as he had known before. Work had made him feel whole and retirement was a challenge. When he became ill, he didnt quite know what to do with himself. Amal eventually realised that life offered a new reality. Not always pleasant, but also not unique to her family.On a mission to help her father and support her mother, Amal began spending every Friday with her parents. But she also saw the gaps in discussion around ageing and sickness. Who could she go to for advice on how to help her father, and how to cope herself? Amals personal experiences prompted her to explore how Australians are ageing, how sickness affects the afflicted and those around them, and what solutions exist when hope seems lost.

So many people are similarly navigating a new reality weeks dotted with doctor appointments; conversations that deplete and reveal at the same time; reshaped family relationships. In this book, Amal speaks with them to gain insights and to consider solutions. She interviews doctors, nurses, an aged care psychologist, specialists (including her fathers), politicians and people in aged care and retirement. At a time when ageism and health is high on the public's radar, what we're not always talking about is how to deal with the anxiety, depression and overall challenges that come with someone you love facing their mortality and a decline in health.

This is a book about asking big, deep questions that have emerged from a small, personal place.