Mum was a laugh, she was really fiery and passionate about lots of things, which makes the fact she got diagnosed with dementia at 70 really hard... It’s cruel and horrible to see the decline that she’s been in from that once amazing, strong, stoic, beautiful woman - she’s still a beautiful woman of course - but all of that’s been ripped apart from her.

We got the diagnosis of dementia and we had to deal with it. We did together and have done ever since. Holding each other’s hands. In a different way than she used to, she still looks after me while we do it.

I think her journey of dementia is similar to others. It just gets worse. It gets harder. You have a feeling of hopelessness when a loved one has dementia. For mum it is hopeless. But it doesn’t have to be for other people. Imagine that, imagine we can do something to stop this?