Living with dementia magazine July 2010

This year's Dementia Awareness Week theme is Remember the person. Here, John, Phillip and Leslie, who are helping to promote our message, talk about embracing life with dementia.

John Wright

John is 68 and has Alzheimer's disease. He lives in Tower Hamlets, where he enjoys being involved in the community and doing what he does best - entertaining people.

John says, 

'All my life I've been an entertainer. I had my own show as a female impersonator and toured the world with it. Danny La Rue came onto the stage and suddenly, drag shows were acceptable. Every pub was screaming for acts and we jumped on the bandwagon.

'I miss that life very, very much but I run a pensioners afternoon on Fridays now and I look forward to it every single week. We do bingo, karaoke and dancing, and I'm happy because I've got the microphone in my hand again. Karaoke is the ideal thing for me because the machine tells me the words.

'It was the worst day of my life when I found out I had Alzheimer's. But I thoroughly enjoy helping to run the estate where I live and I hope that keeps me alert. I refuse to lie down, sit back and let Alzheimer's take over me. Shoot me if you see that happening.'

Phillip Joseph

Phillip is 80 and lives alone with dementia, also in Tower Hamlets. A lifelong sportsman and spectator, he was a pole-vaulting champion of Grenada in the West Indies, where he grew up.

Phillip, also a tailor, says,

'We grew up near the recreation ground in Grenada. I was there probably 365 days a year doing cricket, football and athletics. I was the best pole vaulter in my country. I used to pole vault with bamboo, which was quite dangerous as it could have broken.

'I like to socialise a lot. Every year we go to a Grenada anniversary and meet people we haven't seen from the early days. We remember what we did when we were back home in the Caribbean.

'I have an open door to people I know. People come by and have a drink or two, and we watch sports on TV. It's rare I don't have someone with me.

'I deal with dementia my own way. I live on my own and try to deal with it in the best way I possibly can. I take it in my stride.'

Leslie Nottingham

Leslie is 65, lives in Essex and has Alzheimer's disease. She is a fun-loving person who thrives in company, and wants to be known for who she is, not for having dementia.

Leslie misses her job working in childcare, where she worked with families and ran clubs in nurseries. She says,

'Some of the children had awful lives and the one thing I could give them was love and care. I really liked my job.

'I still run a club once a week for adults with learning difficulties with a friend, which is similar to the other job but I don't get paid for it!

'I love clothes, dancing and being with people. I'll dance to anything. If the music's on, I'm on the floor. I hate being on my own. In fact if I'm left on my own too long it's as if someone has taken the plug out. If I'm doing something or I've got something planned, I seem to live more, so I try to do something every day.

'I'm very lucky in lots of ways. I've got some really lovely friends and my daughters are brilliant. I'm still a person. I don't like the word dementia, because you can see the look in people's eyes, as if I'm going to turn into some strange person. And I'm not! My worst thing is that I don't remember anything.'

To watch John, Philip and Leslie talk more about their experiences of dementia in short films, visit alzheimers.org.uk/remembertheperson