Real stories | Alzheimer's Society

Stephanie’s story: ‘I climbed into Dad’s world with him. It helped bring us closer together.’

Stephanie shares how talking – about medical care, memories and wishes for the future – brought her closer to her dad Ted after his dementia diagnosis.

18 September 2020

Working in a care home during coronavirus: ‘We’re keeping our residents safe and busy’

Ellie is a care home worker and has been providing crucial support for their residents, including people living with dementia. Ellie hopes that sharing her experience will reassure people who are unable to visit their loved ones in care while there are visiting restrictions in place.

17 September 2020

Mike and Angela’s story: ‘I must be with her before it’s too late’

Mike is worried his wife, Angela, who has dementia, has been declining in her care home because he’s not been allowed to care for her during coronavirus. He is calling on the care home to let him visit before it’s too late.

14 September 2020

My journey as an Alzheimer's Society funded researcher

Early career researchers are the future of dementia research and at Alzheimer's Society we have prioritised nurturing this community to drive dementia research forward. We spoke with Dr Ryan West, a researcher who has been supported by the Society throughout his career.

14 September 2020

I have key worker status – why am I still being kept from caring for my wife?

Tony and his wife Pauline, who has dementia and lives in a nursing home, were kept apart for over three months because of coronavirus. Even as the Government opened care homes to socially distanced visits, these types of visits don’t suit Pauline’s needs, nor do they acknowledge Tony having key worker status to support her care.

07 September 2020

Loretta’s story: ‘With Alzheimer’s, you are constantly in a state of grieving’

When Loretta's mum, Dinah, was diagnosed with young-onset dementia, Loretta began to grieve for the person she was before. Dinah sadly passed away this year, which has led Loretta to reflect on her experience as a carer.

Home movies and memory loss – Creating a short film from my grandfather’s old footage

Following the passing of his grandfather, David found his old film reels and created a short film, which was broadcast by the BBC. David reflects on their relationship before dementia, and how the condition affected his grandfather in his later years.

'I’m losing my mum to Covid' - A dementia poem about care home restrictions

Jane has written a heart-breaking poem about how coronavirus has affected her and her mother, who has dementia. She shares her worries about her mum's quality of life while there are visitor restrictions in place for care homes.

I take part in Memory Walks for Malcolm: ‘He was so proud’

After being diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease at 56 years old, Malcolm sadly passed away in 2018. His wife Jeanette remains passionate about fundraising for Alzheimer’s Society and won’t let coronavirus prevent her from organising her own Memory Walk this year.

'Five months is a long time when you have severe dementia’ – kept apart from my wife through coronavirus

John’s wife, Lesley, is living with dementia in a care home. Because of coronavirus, John has not been able to visit Lesley every day as he would usually do. Despite the Government’s new guidance on care home visits, John explains how more needs to be done to make sure care home visits work for people living with dementia and their families.

Dementia and Lockdown: 'This must be what you live with every day, Grandma'

As the coronavirus lockdown restrictions in the UK begin to ease, 13 year old A'yaan thinks about his grandmother, who has Alzheimer's disease. We have published A'yaan's piece here completely unedited.

Put on hold: A man with dementia who’s looking forward to easier times

Lockdown paused many of the activities that had been helping Barney Thompson come to terms with his dementia.