For a long time now I’ve been worried about my mother forgetting who I am as her dementia progresses. She’s been living with dementia since 2012. There are several types of dementia that cause memory loss, it’s most common with Alzheimer’s, mum’s form of dementia. Previously, mum knew who I was the majority of the […]

Making carers visible is the campaign message for Carers Week 2020. A carer is someone like me who cares for a family member, partner, friend or neighbour who due to physical or mental illness, disability, age-related difficulties or an addiction cannot cope without your support. Anyone can become a carer and they come from all

Today we start our 12 weeks of isolation by going into lockdown to evade coronavirus. Social distancing will probably extend further than 12 weeks. For some, this will be a time to reflect, be with family, work from home or just recharge or become stressed from isolation. For others like myself, a sole carer, life

This year I kept a journal (most of the time!) of mum’s dementia journey. I wanted to remember the good and also learn from when times were hard.  Reading it back makes me realise how much has changed in just one year. Limited mobility but more freedom Mum started this year being able to stand

I’ve been inspired by so many carers sharing details of their week that it prompted me to write this post. So here goes, one day in my real carer’s week. Monday I’m woken by mum calling for me through the baby monitor I’d set up, the alarm was set for 7am but mum was up

At some point, I think every carer will go through a stage where there loved one with dementia will say “I want to go home”. Sundowning My mum has Alzheimer’s, initially, she started to repeatedly ask to go home in the early evening/night time and after doing some research we learnt about “sundowning“. Sundowning is

I didn’t recognise myself as a carer for a very long time. I just got on with it. I left my job when my mum became too ill, and saw it as my responsibility to look after her, just as she had looked after me. So the question is are you a carer? The Decision