My dear husband of 38 years was diagnosed with dementia in 2024, he has always been my rock as I have mobility problems. Since his diagnosis our lives have changed considerably, his memories of our time together has been almost totally been erased. We now take each day at a time. Because of other medical problems he is only allowed the lower dose of MEMANTINE. I miss him so much. Nobody to discuss how I feel. I just feel so alone.

I am supporting The Alzheimer’s Society in memory of my beautiful Mum, Sadie Molesworth who lost her battle with this dreadful disease , 7 years ago.
My Mum was an amazing, loving Mum , who dedicated herself to looking after our family.
When she was diagnosed with dementia about 18 years ago, we knew nothing about this disease and had very little support.
I was told by the consultant to “ go away and enjoy the rest of your Mums life , whilst she can remember you.” We were left heartbroken and had to navigate this whole new, very cruel world.
My Dad died very suddenly and this just turned my Mums world upside down and without doubt, accelerated her dementia.
After many falls in her home( mostly at night when I wasent there), we were given no choice but to put mum into a care home. This guilt will forever stay with me.
After 9 very long and hard years, the last 5 of them my Mum no longer knowing who any of us were, my beautiful Mum lost her battle.
This May , both myself and my daughter are walking the 31 miles in May , in memory of my Mum.
Every step, I shall be thinking of her and all the others who are living with or have lost their life to this very, very cruel disease.
Hopefully oneday we can find a cure.
In June , I will wear my forget me not broach with pride and love. Xxx

Last weekend, I sat in the Liverpool Philharmonic Hall, with a feeling of nostalgia, as an orchestra breathed new life into Labyrinth, the classic 80s film, celebrating its 40th anniversary.

Around me were people who all carried the same memory, the same magic, the same appreciation for the film. There was something special about that shared remembering.

As I sat there, I couldn't escape the quiet paradox that formed.

Labyrinth is a film about memory, time, and holding on. Sarah (the main character) must fight her way through a maze with no clear rules, walls that shift, time that distorts, familiar things that reveal themselves to be something different. She must remember what she is fighting for, and in doing so, find her way back home.

I have been thinking about this, because right now, I am navigating my own labyrinth, one that doesn't have a map or guidebook, and offers no guaranteed way out. I am walking it alongside my mum (Joanna), who is in the early stages of dementia.

For anyone who hasn't experienced it, dementia can be difficult to describe. It is not simply forgetting. It’s watching someone you love reach for a memory that was there just a moment ago, but nothing comes. It is seeing a sharp mind work so hard to fill in the gaps to mask the illness, because some part of her knows something isn't right. It is the quiet heartbreak of hearing her ask about her own mum and dad, about my dad, people who left us years ago, and watching her grieve them again.

It is forgetting last week. Sometimes forgetting this morning, and then, in the same breath, she will say something that reminds you she is still there.

The person who was your confidant, your sounding board, your critical friend, is still sitting across from you, and yet somewhere along the way, without noticing, you have become her carer. The relationship has turned itself inside out.

I am at the start of this path, and I know the maze won't end anywhere beautiful, but I am learning that you can find happiness in the moment. In a laugh that surfaces from nowhere, in a random memory from my childhood you manage to share together, in simply remaining present and beside someone you love.

This maze feel really difficult, and often unnecessarily cruel, but I am doing my best to help guide my mum through.... the best that I can.

Hello
This is the story of my Mum,It all starts with the pass of my dad in 2015 a year after my mum was diagnosed with Dementia 6 months after that we had to put her into a carehome.This helped the whole family knowing our mum was safe and being cared for 24/7 she was transferred into two other carehome as the money from the sale of there flat ran out. Have got to say the staff of all the carehome my mum was in were fantastic I’ve never met so many people that just wanted to make my mum feel safe and loved.
Even when my mum stopped knowing who I was. Seeing the glint in her eyes when I was around told me there was something more inside.My mum was taken away from us in May 2024 after suffering lung cancer but it was very quick so she didn’t suffer to much and was a blessing.
It’s probably the hardest thing the family had to go through but we had an extra 10 years with.Being safe and most of the time happy.

My lovely mum Hellie. She developed dementia following lockdown and died in January of this year. She was wonderful and still joyful throughout and I miss her terribly. She left a lot of love ❤️