Thanks to the support of her six siblings – and the assistance and guidance of Alzheimer’s Australia NSW – she was able to make the move from Sydney so her character Moira Doyle could become a permanent fixture in the hit series.

Now back in Sydney with her mum Odette, Ms Younane juggles a successful career on stage and screen with her role spreading awareness about dementia, which affects more than 342,000 Australia.

Alzheimer’s disease is the most common form of dementia, affecting up to 70 per cent of all people with dementia and the actress said while symptoms were similar, no one case was exactly the same.

‘’Mum’s diagnosis was very hard for the entire family as it was such unknown territory for us,’’ she said.

‘’The behaviour is so specific to each individual and as mum’s illness progresses we need to keep reassessing what her needs are.

‘’It’s quite difficullt and heartbreaking at times, which is why Alzheimer’s Australia has been such a great support – giving us advice and information every step of the way.’’

Ms Younane is now an ambassador for the organisation, and has been named as the host of this year’s Illawarra Memory Walk and Jog at Stuart Park, North Wollongong on February 28.

She said the walk helped promote better understanding of all forms of dementia, raise funds for support and research and was also a fun day for families.

‘’There’s such a stigma around dementia despite the high number of people it affects,’’ she said.

‘’Sufferers tend to get ignored because of a lack of knowledge about the condition. But we don’t know what they know, we don’t know what they hear.

‘’We can’t communicate with our mum verbally, but we know she hears, that she feels – when our dad passed away last year she knew it, she shed tears.’’

Event participants can take part in a 2km or 6.5km walk or a 7.5km run. Funds raised will help support the estimated 8538 people living with dementia in the Illawarra. Register at reg.memorywalk.com.au/nsw/illawarra