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My mum suffered Parkinsons dementia. She was...
yes my huband was diagnosed in feb. 2021. Doc wanted to do over the phone because of covid. I refused. next day they telephoned to say a psychiatrist would visit us at...
My beloved mum was diagnosed with Alzheimer's at the age of 65. We looked after her at home until it got difficult when we had to move he to a nursing home where she...
My partner of 14 years, Kevin was diagnosed with early onset Alzheimer’s dementia in March 2014 at the age of 58. I was working full time and paying a mortgage. ...
Steve my partner was misdiagnosed in 2018 as having mild cognitive behaviour by the memory clinic , he lost two years of treatment he could have had. We were told...
My grandma has it and has had no support,she was a big picture in my life and and so I don't want her to forget all those good time,I would like to end Dementia for...
Hi my husband has dementia,most of the time I can cope but sometimes I kneed some one to talk or text to that understand what I’m talking about
My wife Sarah, 58 started having memory issues mid year 2023, that i noticed, her memory started playing tricks on her, she believed Google was a person and was...
My Dad got his formal diagnosis in August 2020.
I...
My mum, Marjorie was diagnosed with Alzheimers in...
My Father's assessment took place during covid. The process from the first visit to the Dementia Assessment Team to diagnosis took 14 months.
We wanted a diagnosis so...
My wife got a diagnosis in 2016 she was 62
The biggest challenge was because she had MS the doctors thought her symptoms were because of the MS
After her diagnosis...
My mum suffered Parkinsons dementia. She was diagnosed at 62 but had shown symptoms from two years prior. The drugs from Parkinsons accerbate dementia but it is rarely talked about. She suffered delusions and had physical pain similar to missing limb syndrome. Within less than two years who she was and what she stood for disappeared. She suffered for 23 years, the last ten in a nursing home. For her husband, looking after the Parkinsons was nothing compared to the dementia. I lost my energetic, eccentric, compassionate , dancing, hiking, travelling mum 23 years before she died.
Lynne
yes my huband was diagnosed in feb. 2021. Doc wanted to do over the phone because of covid. I refused. next day they telephoned to say a psychiatrist would visit us at home. He was diagnosed that day. claiming attendance allowance was not difficult and made a difference to our finances. He was diagnosed with vascular dementia which has a different progression to Alzeimers,
Jean Keen
My beloved mum was diagnosed with Alzheimer's at the age of 65. We looked after her at home until it got difficult when we had to move he to a nursing home where she died a few months later aged 72. The following year my darling dad aged 77 met a lovely lady who he married with our blessing. Six years later she,aged 68, was diagnosed with Alzheimer's and again we looked after her at home till it was too difficult and we had to move her to the same nursing home where she took died aged 73. My grandad, mums father, died with Alzheimer's as did her brother and at least 2 of her sisters. My family has been devastated by this dreadful disease with robs intelligent independent people of their future,their dignity and causes immeasurable suffering to them and their entire family. When a loved one is diagnosed the family is on their own and very little help is available from the local authorities or the national health unless your income is below the pathetic limit of £23,250. This needs to change. We are encouraged by the state to save for old age, and to own our houses but then told we are too well off to access any help or support when we most need it. My family has spent thousands caring for our loved ones and whilst we don't regret that ,it is not right. I am now 72 and am fit and well I obviously have concerns as to whether I took will be affected by dementia. If I am then I will not put my family through the nightmare of caring for me. Unless things change drastically I will be off to Switzerland.
Anne Langham
My partner of 14 years, Kevin was diagnosed with early onset Alzheimer’s dementia in March 2014 at the age of 58. I was working full time and paying a mortgage. The progression of Kevin’s dementia was rapid and I had to juggle between a full time job and looking after Kevin. The social worker didn’t believe me when I told them I was struggling and they based their decision upon an hour long interview with Kevin on one of his good day, I asked for some respite care and was told to look to family for support. Kevin was sectioned shortly afterwards and was placed in care. I received no support and help.
Mary
Steve my partner was misdiagnosed in 2018 as having mild cognitive behaviour by the memory clinic , he lost two years of treatment he could have had. We were told there was no treatment, after two years with Steve deteriorating I thought there is something very wrong here, I asked his GP to refer him to St. George’s Hospital as I had researched the nearest hospital with a good department that dealt with Dementia. This was now 2020, during the COVID pandemic. A neurological consultant rang us and diagnosed Alzheimer’s, he did say of the previous diagnosis. I quote. It’s not mild cognitive behaviour if you have to give up your job. He prescribed Donepezil. That is two years lost that Steve could have been on that medication which makes me very cross. Steve was an extremely clever, witty man, it is all so sad. There needs to be much earlier correct diagnosis and more support, for after diagnosis you are just abandoned unless you fight for more help.
My grandma has it and has had no support,she was a big picture in my life and and so I don't want her to forget all those good time,I would like to end Dementia for good
Paige
Hi my husband has dementia,most of the time I can cope but sometimes I kneed some one to talk or text to that understand what I’m talking about
My wife Sarah, 58 started having memory issues mid year 2023, that i noticed, her memory started playing tricks on her, she believed Google was a person and was talking to her through her phone.
Sarah came to me serveral times telling me Google was coming to our home to pick her up and take her shopping, to job interviews, she was at that point working as a care assistant, moving on the Christmas day evening 2023 we had a great day at our daughters, Sarah was chatting with our son in laws parents and playing games with our 5 year old grand son, on the way home something in Sarah just clicked and she became a different person.
Her mood changed she became very agitated and was hard to reason with.
January 5th Sarah was hospitalised under section to of the mental health act, she spent from the 5th jan to the 19th of jan on the neuro ward at Addenbrookes hospital.
19th of jan 2023 Sarah was transfered to Fulbourne Mulberry 2 where she spent the next 4 months, she had numerous tests done all coming back negative the Drs were all at a loss as to what was going on with Sarah, she was hearing voices and replying to these voices, she believed people were watching her she kept to windows and looking for people, and she was talking to these people and calling them by name.
The Drs at Mulbery said there was nothing else they could do for Sarah so started arranging weekends back home, then one final test result came back and it was positive for AD, my world just fell apart, Dr Cope broke the news to us at Mulbery, Sarah didnt react it was like she had not taken it in.
Its mid May now and Sarah has been home full time about 3 1/2 weeks, Sarah has okay days and bad days, Sarah still talks to the voices and still replies to them, today 20th May most of the day Sarah has continually sat in the living room and then got up and gone to the front door believing someone called donna was at the door.
Some days Sarah seems good today has been a bad day, i can not even begin to imagine what is going on in Sarah's head and it is extremely hard not to break down infront of her, i dread to think what the future for me holds with Sarah, and i dread to think what is going to become of Sarah in time, its heartbreaking now im not looking forward to what is coming.
Sarah came to me serveral times telling me Google was coming to our home to pick her up and take her shopping, to job interviews, she was at that point working as a care assistant, moving on the Christmas day evening 2023 we had a great day at our daughters, Sarah was chatting with our son in laws parents and playing games with our 5 year old grand son, on the way home something in Sarah just clicked and she became a different person.
Her mood changed she became very agitated and was hard to reason with.
January 5th Sarah was hospitalised under section to of the mental health act, she spent from the 5th jan to the 19th of jan on the neuro ward at Addenbrookes hospital.
19th of jan 2023 Sarah was transfered to Fulbourne Mulberry 2 where she spent the next 4 months, she had numerous tests done all coming back negative the Drs were all at a loss as to what was going on with Sarah, she was hearing voices and replying to these voices, she believed people were watching her she kept to windows and looking for people, and she was talking to these people and calling them by name.
The Drs at Mulbery said there was nothing else they could do for Sarah so started arranging weekends back home, then one final test result came back and it was positive for AD, my world just fell apart, Dr Cope broke the news to us at Mulbery, Sarah didnt react it was like she had not taken it in.
Its mid May now and Sarah has been home full time about 3 1/2 weeks, Sarah has okay days and bad days, Sarah still talks to the voices and still replies to them, today 20th May most of the day Sarah has continually sat in the living room and then got up and gone to the front door believing someone called donna was at the door.
Some days Sarah seems good today has been a bad day, i can not even begin to imagine what is going on in Sarah's head and it is extremely hard not to break down infront of her, i dread to think what the future for me holds with Sarah, and i dread to think what is going to become of Sarah in time, its heartbreaking now im not looking forward to what is coming.
Paul
My Dad got his formal diagnosis in August 2020.
I had taken him to his GP a few times in late 2019 as both myself & my Mum knew he wasn’t right. My Dad himself knew there was something wrong, he was frightened as couldn’t understand why some of the simplest tasks he could no longer remember how to do them. It took 3 visits to the GP with him plus numerous calls from me chasing it up to finally get the referral to a memory clinic . It took several phone calls chasing up the memory clinic for the diagnosis as we were struggling to get extra care to look after him, as we needed that formal diagnosis.
When we finally got the diagnosis it was heart breaking, we were already witnessing Dad disappearing, he went from a happy , very social able , joke telling person to a withdrawn person, who was frightened of any strange noises & hardly spoke.
I would like to see families and people with dementia get the help & support quicker and for the person with dementia to be treated with respect & dignity. I would like to see a campaign to teach everyone how to respond to a person with dementia when they are out & about and not to stare or ridicule them.
I had taken him to his GP a few times in late 2019 as both myself & my Mum knew he wasn’t right. My Dad himself knew there was something wrong, he was frightened as couldn’t understand why some of the simplest tasks he could no longer remember how to do them. It took 3 visits to the GP with him plus numerous calls from me chasing it up to finally get the referral to a memory clinic . It took several phone calls chasing up the memory clinic for the diagnosis as we were struggling to get extra care to look after him, as we needed that formal diagnosis.
When we finally got the diagnosis it was heart breaking, we were already witnessing Dad disappearing, he went from a happy , very social able , joke telling person to a withdrawn person, who was frightened of any strange noises & hardly spoke.
I would like to see families and people with dementia get the help & support quicker and for the person with dementia to be treated with respect & dignity. I would like to see a campaign to teach everyone how to respond to a person with dementia when they are out & about and not to stare or ridicule them.
Karen
My mum, Marjorie was diagnosed with Alzheimers in January 2017 but showed earlier signs of memory loss and anxiety when my step father informed my brother and l of this in July 2011.
They did not ask for our help and lived 375 miles away from us so did not notice mums decline other than when speaking on the phone fortnightly.
In March 2017, mums husband was in hospital for three weeks with heart problems and sadly died after open heart surgery. I think trying to care for mum's needs on his own had seriously stressed him out.
During that time, mum was placed in a care home and then after my step dad's funeral decided to have mum live with my husband and l. It was then that we realised how difficult it was to cope with a person with a mental disability.
I tried day care and respite in a local care home but was unsettling for mum and change of routine.
In November 2018, l had to place mum in a care home near where she used to live, full time. It was heartbreaking and felt so guilty that l couldn't look after her anymore.
Early diagnosis is important but it's not easy for someone like my mum who was in denial about the illness and just put it down to getting older.
Mum passed away in January 2022 at the care home. She refused the vaccines for covid so caught it and got pneumonia. Mum was 85 years of age.
They did not ask for our help and lived 375 miles away from us so did not notice mums decline other than when speaking on the phone fortnightly.
In March 2017, mums husband was in hospital for three weeks with heart problems and sadly died after open heart surgery. I think trying to care for mum's needs on his own had seriously stressed him out.
During that time, mum was placed in a care home and then after my step dad's funeral decided to have mum live with my husband and l. It was then that we realised how difficult it was to cope with a person with a mental disability.
I tried day care and respite in a local care home but was unsettling for mum and change of routine.
In November 2018, l had to place mum in a care home near where she used to live, full time. It was heartbreaking and felt so guilty that l couldn't look after her anymore.
Early diagnosis is important but it's not easy for someone like my mum who was in denial about the illness and just put it down to getting older.
Mum passed away in January 2022 at the care home. She refused the vaccines for covid so caught it and got pneumonia. Mum was 85 years of age.
Deborah
My Father's assessment took place during covid. The process from the first visit to the Dementia Assessment Team to diagnosis took 14 months.
We wanted a diagnosis so that we could access support but sadly following a diagnosis of Lewy Body Dementia we were discharged from the care of the Dementia Team and left to our own devices to access Adult Services to get the equipment and adaptations in the home my Father needed, and to source care for him.
We really felt abandoned, such a very different situation from when my mother had cancer. Fortunately I am a retired nurse and midwife so had insight and knowledge into accessing services. There needs to be good support and care after diagnosis, talking to other families I am aware that our situation is not uncommon.
We wanted a diagnosis so that we could access support but sadly following a diagnosis of Lewy Body Dementia we were discharged from the care of the Dementia Team and left to our own devices to access Adult Services to get the equipment and adaptations in the home my Father needed, and to source care for him.
We really felt abandoned, such a very different situation from when my mother had cancer. Fortunately I am a retired nurse and midwife so had insight and knowledge into accessing services. There needs to be good support and care after diagnosis, talking to other families I am aware that our situation is not uncommon.
Jane
My wife got a diagnosis in 2016 she was 62
The biggest challenge was because she had MS the doctors thought her symptoms were because of the MS
After her diagnosis we saw a doctor once and the dementia nurse once and they said because of her other conditions there was nothing to done
When she became ill and was admitted to hospital the nurses on the ward admitted they did not know how to act when she showed signs of her dementia
She passed away in 2018
The simple facts are that there is no support in most case after a diagnosis and families are left to deal with alone
The biggest challenge was because she had MS the doctors thought her symptoms were because of the MS
After her diagnosis we saw a doctor once and the dementia nurse once and they said because of her other conditions there was nothing to done
When she became ill and was admitted to hospital the nurses on the ward admitted they did not know how to act when she showed signs of her dementia
She passed away in 2018
The simple facts are that there is no support in most case after a diagnosis and families are left to deal with alone
Andrew
Share your story
Help bring dementia out from behind closed doors and tell us, what is your reality of dementia?