Catherine Annabel

Dementia and Dad

Saturday 25th May I'm walking with my family to raise funds for Alzheimer's Research UK in the hope that one day there will be a better understanding of the causes of dementia, more effective treatment of the condition, and maybe, just maybe, a cure. That will all be too late to help Dad, who wasn't diagnosed until he was in his nineties but whose condition deteriorated rapidly after that, and who is now in residential care, as we could no longer keep him safe in his own home. He sometimes recognises me, but more often not. There are sometimes glimpses (however confused) of the person he used to be - someone who was a leader, a decision maker, who took on challenges both professional and personal, and who led a full and fascinating life. But dementia has been taking away from him, little by little, the things that made him him, and that's cruel, and desperately sad. All we can do for him now, working with his carers, is to ensure that he is as safe as possible, as well as possible, as content as possible. And for our own and everyone's future, we can raise funds to support vital research. Knowledge, prevention, treatment and, let us all hope, one day a cure.  Share