Living with dementia magazine October 2010

Christine Grace has early onset Alzheimer's disease. The early diagnosis has enabled her to keep working and enjoy new hobbies with her daughter, who is a firm believer in keeping her mum busy

For Christine Grace, getting an early diagnosis of dementia meant she could continue working. It meant many more things, too, such as being prescribed medication, having access to support and benefits, and knowing the cause of her symptoms.

But being able to continue earning money and feel assured that life could carry on as normal was a big plus.

When Christine first went to her GP to discuss problems she was having, she was told it was the menopause. At the time, she was working on the checkout at Tesco in Thetford, but was struggling to cope with numbers and handling cash. Eventually, she was signed off sick.

Jennifer-Rose, her daughter, says,

'I just passed it off as a bit of confusion, but there was more to it than that. I noticed that mum was getting worse just sitting at home all day. She's never been the sort of person to do nothing and it became difficult to have a conversation with her.'

Christine says,

'I was just sitting by myself at home and I didn't understand what was happening. I couldn't put it down to anything normal. I felt abnormal.'

Christine's partner, Simon, and Jennifer-Rose, persuaded her to go the GP again, which she was reluctant to do as she felt insecure. However, this time her symptoms were recognised and she was diagnosed with Alzheimer's disease last December, aged 55.

Next steps

Christine says she didn't think the news sunk in, but is not someone who dwells on things too much and likes to take life in her stride. Jennifer-Rose had been in touch with Alzheimer's Society in Thetford prior to her mum's diagnosis. As a practical person, she wanted to know what to do if her mum was diagnosed, so armed herself with information.

She says,

'I have to say, without the support of the women in the Thetford office, I wouldn't have had a clue. I was emailing them on a weekly basis at one stage. They advised me if possible to keep people with dementia busy, and knowing what mum is like I wanted to find things to keep her active.

'They were also amazingly helpful with Tesco.'

Society support

Julie Williams is a Dementia Support Worker at the South Norfolk office. Julie made an appointment with Tesco to talk to them about dementia and offer advice.

Julie said,

'Because Christine had worked in the store for many years, they couldn't understand why she kept forgetting where things were. They were very accommodating trying to find different jobs for her, but many of the jobs were customer-facing and weren't workable.

'I met with the personnel officer and gave a brief overview of how dementia can affect people, and the importance of finding something that Christine could do effectively and that she would enjoy and find worthwhile. They suggested creating a job especially for her in the staff canteen, where she'd be working with her peers.

'This was all done with Christine's knowledge, and they agreed on trying that for six weeks. As she did so well, they made it a permanent position.'

Keeping busy

Christine now works part-time for three days a week on Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday. On Mondays, she attends a gardening club run by Thetford council, on Fridays, volunteers for the Society in Thetford, and on Saturdays spends the day with Jennifer-Rose. They attend knitting and lace-making groups together.

Christine also spends a lot of time at her allotment. She says,

'I forget what I've put in. We had some visitors the other day and they were admiring this lovely row of cauliflowers, and it was the first time I'd seen them!'

Jennifer-Rose says,

'Mum used to be a lot more serious and we didn't used to be close. She's a lot more giggly now, and we're definitely closer. I feel very protective of her and I worry a lot. I ring her three times a day and I support her financially. It's affected my life hugely.

'But I've seen such a change in her behaviour from when she was doing nothing on sick leave to how she is now, keeping busy. I think awareness of dementia is so important. If the first doctor had better awareness she would have realised something was wrong and we could have got the diagnosis sooner. And people would understand how it affects our lives.'

Both Christine and Jennifer-Rose believe the Society's Worried about your memory? campaign is hugely important. Christine says,

'From the beginning, my problems were overlooked. If you feel that the problem is nagging you, just go to the GP.'