My sister, Rosemary lives 200 miles from us & because I have been receiving chemotherapy treatment I have been unable to see her for six months.I have just received a video showing her yesterday & I am so shocked by how much she has deteriorated. She has followed the same pattern as our Mother 20 years ago.
I support Alzheimers Society because it is important that this horrible disease is defeated in the next 50 years so that noone has to suffer in the same way as my family has.

My grandma Gertrude Tomlinson died in hospital from dementia 30 years ago , it is a terrible disease . It effects all the family . So every little helps in the battle for a cure

Mum was diagnosed in March 2020, just a few days before the first Covid lockdown. Unfortunately, this meant it was a year before she saw any specialist. We tried to keep her safe, but she didn't understand why she had to stay at home. After a few weeks, we decided to carry on as if Covid wasn't happening. The government advice was to look after the vulnerable and continuing as normal was the best decision. Mum improved to the extent that occasional lapses of memory and confusion became the new normal. While almost everyone caught Covid, sometimes more than once, Mum, Dad and I never did. Not once and never have. We were just lucky. It's 6 years now and Mum has deteriorated. She had a spell in hospital last year, but was eventually discharged. She's back living at home. It's often frustrating, and you have to take the rough with the smooth, but it's not too bad. Occasional respite is important though.

My grandfather, Charlie was a fit , healthy man for the majority of his life . He was a small holder and market gardener, outdoors most of the time …fair weather or foul . What he didn’t know about nature wasn’t worth knowing!
Charlie developed dementia and we , the family , started to lose him ,gradually at first . But one day he opened the door to me and told me to go away …he didn’t know me any more . Although he was still sound physically he was suffering from something cruel , insidious and incurable.
So this is for Charlie . 1910 - 1997

My granddad was a lovely old man, who when I was small taught me how to read and instilled in me a love of books that I still have. As he grew older he developed dementia and often I was the only person who could cope with him.
He died when I was just 16 yrs old and to this day I still miss him even after 60 years.

For my lovely Dad Cyril Langley who fought dementia with courage and bravery and always smiling such lovely memories if i have half of his courage i too can conquer this illness miss your sweet smile bye for now your daughter rebecca xx

Albert Evans was my cousin. We grew up together in a large family. We both married and had families. Our wives got on really well together, so we spent a lot of our leisure time together. Albert was a genuine, generous and kind man.
He was a master joiner, with a growing business. At one family celebration we noticed his concentration was poor when playing games. Then he began to loose jobs. His customers began to complain. His driving skills became erratic. He was then in his early 40s!! His character gradually changed.
Eventually he was diagnosed with Early Oet Altzimers. He didn't understand his diagnosis, and in the early 1980s, we didn't know much about the disease, or what to expect, either.
As the disease progressed we tried to support him and the whole family. Money became a problem as he could no longer work, and then his wife had to give up her job to look after him. He received some respite care, but eventually June could not manage him at home and he went into a carehome. He lived in the home for ten years. When he died aged 60, he had been bedbound for at least 3 years, recognising no one . Just existing!!... being fed, given some medication, and kept clean.
This nightmare journey of just one early onset Altzimers family demonstrates how important it is that research continues .
We still celebrate family occasions together. Albert is never far from our thoughts. His daughter is being married in May. Instead of gifts she has asked for donations to the Altzimers Society. My wife and I shall wear our Forget me Not flowers proudly at the wedding, in his memory. We loved him.