My incredible Grandad developed dementia after having a stroke in 2021. It was an extremely long fight for diagnosis filled with so many appointments and assessments before we were finally put on the right road of what was happening. It’s been such a rollercoaster filled with so many hard moments but so many special moments I will cherish forever too. My Grandad was a fantastic gardener and huge family man, watching dementia slowly take each part of that from him was absolutely devastating. Grandad declined very quickly and it was a hard journey of being in and out of different facilities and hospitals that was out of our control. We learnt so much whilst caring for grandad with incredible support and guidance from Alzheimer’s Society. As a family we have carried out fundraising through half marathons, cake sales and sky dives to raise awareness and important funding needed to support those living with this disease. We unfortuently lost Grandad this June 2026 and our hearts our broken, but we are remembering the amazing Dad, Brother and Grandad that he was.

Our lovely Mum Veronica in her words never had a good memory. We had a few trips to the Doctors and the Memory Clinic it did at times feel a bit of a battle.
We did get a diagnosis of Alzheimer’s eventually.
Throughout her latter years Mums kindness and strength was still apparent and she was still so grateful of any help you gave her. I would often refer to the resources on the Alzheimer’s society pages and especially the community forum. Mum moved into a care home last August and I was struck by the care and love that she received there. Mum died on the 13th of June this year she was and will always be my best friend and it was a privilege to be her children. 💙

My father, Tim, is still with my family but also not with us. He has Dementia. He is 92 and only recently moved to a nursing home. I am grateful that he still knows me .
He is a retired police officer. He graduated in 1954,when it would still be another five years before women could join. I grew up with a father, who had a very serious, public facing job. As I got older, I became aware of the times when that job took him into some tense or very tragic situations and even dangerous ones. And Dad would have to come home and not talk about them to his family..
Dad is a very proud Kerry man, He also played GAA,and supports Kerry til the end.
Dad is the best story teller I know and has a great sense of humour. Even with dementia, there are still flashes of both there. I have been lucky enough to record some of his stories and comments, over the years.
I am very conscious that many families are dealing with loved ones with Dementia. I want to finish on a positive note. One summers evening,my husband and I were walking near my parents house. A tractor passed us by and a man at the side of it,waved at us. My husband stopped,in shock. ‘Toni, that’s your father hanging off the back of that tractor!’ ‘I know’, I said, shrugging my shoulders. He was 84. He always had the physicality and mental cognition of a much younger man, until only recently. For that, I am so thankful.
I am very, very proud of Dad and always will be.

supporting my lovely sister sue beautiful person inside and out we try to keep her happy and loved as much as we can i think she understands deep down some where in there the love still gos on

I’m wearing my forget-me-not in memory of my mum Anna who died aged 94 in 2018 but about 6 years before that the family had noticed that there was something missing at times, she had trouble recognising people and names. On one of my last visits to Belgium to the care home where she was she didn’t recognise me despite my sister telling her so I just went along with her train of thought and had a pleasant time. Soon afterwards my mum seemed to regress to the time of WII when Belgium was occupied, she told us to be careful what we said because anyone could be listening, that was the time that we realised that the mother we knew had gone. My saddest memory is a videoclip that my sister sent me whilst having a conversation about me with mum….no recognition at all.

We lost Dad two weeks ago after a 5 year battle with Alzheimer’s. We are devastated, such a cruel disease that took our lovely Dad from us .
On Friday it’s Dads Funeral and we will be wearing our forget me nots in his memory.
RIP Dad , we love you.💔

My husband Tony was diagnosed with Alzheimers when he was 66. I was able to care for him at home for 6 years but then sadly he needed to go into a care home. He passed away one month before Covid lockdown and we miss him so much

They say you can’t choose your family, but if you could I would choose my grandma every single time. A fighter whos laugh keeps me going even on the bad days. Love you and love the memories G’ma

My Granny (Avice) had Alzheimers, it is such a cruel disease to those who are around her - caring for, & loving her. However, to her she was back in the happiest time of her life. She was 93 when she passed (in covid), but in her mind she was 21. A time before she was married, & happily farming. All those memories for us around her were in our thoughts, but only remembered to her when looking at pictures. I was the only person she remembered.
As a family, we now look back when my Grandpa passed she was actually starting with the disease, but we all thought she was grieving for him, & all the signs got mixed up with grief to us.
Through all the daily emotions myself & my Grannny went through - please do a photo album for your loved one. As on those bad days (or at sunset), she will come back to the present briefly with those pictures!
Picture was taken speaking to me on my birthday at the beginning of covid, as we couldn't visit her.

My mom, Liz Johnson, was a teacher and more than anything, her own children were her sunshine. They were what she lived for.
So it was especially cruel that Alzheimer's came for her brain first. Her mind was her superpower. She used it to teach other people's kids for years, and she used it every single day to love hers. Watching that go, piece by piece, was one of the hardest things our family has ever faced. After a series of strokes, she passed away in July 2025.
Here's what I haven't lost: she was diagnosed the same month my daughter, Lyla, was born — September 2023. For two years, my mom and my daughter overlapped. I got to watch my mom be a grandmother, even as Alzheimer's tried to take that from her too.
She still shows up for us every day. In the patience I try to have with Lyla. In the way I catch myself teaching, the way she did. In the sunshine she always tried to be for her kids — I'm trying to be that for mine now.
I'm sharing her story because Alzheimer's took my mom's superpower before it took anything else, and I never want another family to watch that happen to someone they love without support behind them. This is for her, and for everyone still showing up for someone who's losing themselves.