Lauren Jones - Interim HR Services Team Leader

My Grandmother has always been a huge part of mine and my family’s lives. Spending Tuesday evenings and Saturday afternoons at Grandma’s were the highlights of our week. I always thought she was so healthy and fit for her age, she went swimming at least four times a week and she went on walks every day.

When she was diagnosed with dementia in 2016, I remember feeling so frustrated because if it wasn’t for this condition, she could carry on doing all those things she loved. She started with forgetting the simplest of things, but this soon progressed and she started forgetting how to read and write, getting lost on a walk, leaving her door open on a night.

My family and I all take some responsibility in caring for her, making sure she has had something to eat, making sure she takes her tablets, and just simply keeping her company for a while. I have struggled in the past with what to say when I visit my Grandma, but I have realised even just sitting next to her and watching some television means the world to her and puts her at ease.

The most important thing I have learnt from having a relative with dementia is patience and whether you have a relative with dementia or not, I have learnt how important it is to be aware.