I, like many of us, have seen the awareness campaigns on TV or heard personal stories of those people whose lives have been touched by dementia. My own perspective and experience began to shift around two years ago when my partner’s mum was diagnosed with vascular dementia.

Over these two years, I’ve witnessed first-hand the devastating effects of this disease. Initially it was a bit of trouble word-finding, then progressed to finding it difficult to carry out simple daily processes. It began to affect her eating, toileting, sleeping and general motivation. Then came the day where there were now two sons (my partner is an only one). She would talk about ‘the other one’ and deny any knowledge of my partner being her son. As you can imagine, this was such a massive blow and we knew that it would not improve.

It has been such a challenge for my partner (as is the case for all those families/friends where loved ones have dementia) observing how vascular dementia has taken his mum, bit by bit. The recent ‘Long Goodbye’ awareness campaign captures it perfectly, he’s lost her again and again.

So, I'm taking on the March Dog Walking Challenge for Dementia UK. I'll be walking 62 kilometres with my dog and raising funds to help ensure no family faces dementia alone.

Please help me make a difference by donating or sharing my page.

-Just £8 can cover the telephone costs for two families seeking support through Dementia UK's free Helpline.

- £33 could fund a new dementia specialist Admiral Nurse to spend an hour helping a family in the community, offering practical solutions and emotional support to cope with their loved one’s distressed behaviour.

Thanks for taking the time to click and read, and thank you so much for your support.

Pam (Beau & Lola)