Jo began caring for her grandmother when she had a fall and was hospitalised, needing a hip replacement. When she was in hospital, they did an MRI scan and discovered that she had Alzheimer’s disease. Jo had initially realised there may be something wrong with her grandmother’s memory when she could not remember an important person in Jo’s life. Her grandmother had known this person for ten years but could not remember them.

Therefore, Jo knew there was an issue with her grandmother’s memory, but she was 96, so Jo thought it was to be expected. However, while in the hospital, her grandmother struggled to remember anyone other than Jo’s daughter. While in the hospital, her grandmother quickly declined.

Jo’s grandmother was later transferred to the nursing home, where they would assess her needs. During this time, Jo and her brother were taking turns to visit their grandmother. They were both also concerned about how they would fund her care if she was placed in a permanent nursing home. Unfortunately, after assessing her grandmother, the GP decided that her grandmother should be transferred to palliative care.

During this time, Jo’s mother was contacted to inform her about her grandmother’s condition. Unfortunately, Jo’s mother was also experiencing issues due to severe self-neglect. After their grandmother’s death, Jo and her brother became involved in their mother’s care. Jo would visit her mother in the hospital to see how she was. Jo’s mother sadly died suddenly in the hospital due to another health condition. After her death, Jo and her brother were informed that vascular dementia was the secondary cause of her mother’s death.