Carer Leanne Gibson has quit her job to look after her nan and has written about the impact of being a dementia carer.
Imagine losing someone you love more than anything in the world.
Imagine losing someone you love but who physically is still here.
Imagine having to tell that person that their best friend and soul mate is no longer here.
Imagine having to think of new ways to explain every day.
Imagine finding someone you love crying in front of the washer because they forgot how to turn it on.
Imagine having to tell someone where they are every day.
Imagine giving up your house and job to care for that person because you love them.
Imagine being called names every single day.
Imagine that person not knowing who you are or what you have done.
Imagine having to make sure there is always water in the kettle so they don’t boil it try.
Imagine having to hide everything precious as things get thrown away or lost.
Imagine being asked the same thing 100 times in a row and having to answer like it’s the very first time.
Imagine watching someone battle with their own head because they don’t understand, and they never will.
Dementia is a battle nobody can win. No matter how hard you try. No matter if that person switches from being so horrible to so loving in the space of two seconds. That person is fighting a daily battle within themselves and all their loved ones can do is sit and watch this disease steal the person they truly love. Please be kind, if you want to know what’s happening ask. You just never know what someone is going through.