Why Alzheimer's Society?

Sadly Liz's mum, Peggy, was diagnosed with Alzheimer's in 2010 so we have personal experience of this devastatingly cruel disease. It has made us realise just how much work needs to be done in relation to this illness not just in terms of medical support but also to increase public awareness and to provide appropriate support for carers. From our experience carer support seems to be designed for those coping for somebody with physical disabilities where requirements are much easier to define. We felt that nobody understood our needs and then fortunately we contacted the Alzheimer's Society who at least understood the issues that we were having and offered practical as well as emotional support and advice.

Alzheimer's is one of the degenerative diseases of the brain that causes dementia. It is not a mental illness as is so often commonly believed but a physical condition that results in the gradual erosion of memory, cognition, functionality and communication. It brings a huge and prolonged burden of suffering and anxiety to the sufferer and family alike.

In this photo of Peggy at 89 she looks remarkably well but she needed constant care to cope with the process of living day by day. She lost all her treasured memories of her life's experience and of family and friends most dear to her. It is heartbreakingly sad to watch somebody that you love lose everything. Peggy died 6 months after the photo was taken on the 21st September 2014.

We are all living longer but one of the downsides is the increasing number of dementia sufferers. Much more work needs to be done in this area. Effective treatments are still some way off however the most important thing that can be done in the short term is to spread knowledge about dementia. This will help both those with dementia and those caring for somebody with dementia to cope. Please consider supporting the 'Dementia Friend' campaign which is an Alzheimer's Society initiative that has been developed and funded by Public Health England.