My Dad, Bob, was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s Dementia a few years ago, although I had noticed some symptoms before that. Having experienced it with my mums Dad, I thought I knew a lot about the disease, but it became clear how differently it shows itself in people. The worst part was seeing that he knew something wasn’t quite right - the confusion, anxiety and fear, and the inability to communicate these feelings or understand what was happening. Understandably, he went from crying in distress to joking about and laughing (standard Bob!) to anger and frustration on a daily basis.

As well as giving me something to concentrate on (oh, the training!!) I decided to run for Dementia UK, as I called the Admiral Nurses many times for help and advice. Not living nearby and being able to give hands on help to Jan,  it was good for me to have someone to ask how best to manage a difficult situation, or communicate in a way that could calm him.  Often chatting to him on the phone helped, being a part of whatever world he was in at the time. Each time I called the nurses, they called me back after having read the previous notes, so I never needed to go over everything again. I also did an online training course to try and get a better understanding of what someone suffering was experiencing. Mostly when I saw him at home we would have fun, him reading the paper aloud to me or us both people watching out the window. But then a switch would go, his mood would change and it could be quite unnerving. Having some tools to understand and manage this was invaluable and I wasn’t the one with him 24 hours a day (Jan did an amazing job taking care of him for so long). He is now living safely in a care home and although incredibly sad, he seems content and settled. He still has his mischievous sense of humour and keeps the nurses on their toes!

Dementia UK provide essential support to those caring for people with Dementia, so I’d really appreciate any sponsorship you can give, to ensure this service continues helping others like me. It will also encourage me to keep training and hopefully reach that 13 mile goal!

THANK YOU!!!!!

Amanda x