Profiles

Here, you can find any of the interviews on this site.

Jennifer

Jennifer and her husband purchased a property in a retirement village that could offer ongoing nursing or specialist dementia care. Jennifer feels secure and has the freedom to live life as she chooses. She can arrange extra care as and…

  • Background

    Jennifer, aged 74, is a retired GP and has lived in a retirement village for nine years. She is widowed and has three children who live in various countries around...

  • Derek & Lorraine

    Every week, Derek attends support groups independently and visits the gym with his wife. He also spends a day with his youngest son who lives nearby. Derek benefits from technology which helps keep him active and independent.

  • Background

    Derek, aged 61, was diagnosed at the age of 56 with a rare form of dementia called Posterior Cortical Atrophy (PCA). He is a retired police officer and lives with...

  • Richard and Viv

    Richard was diagnosed with frontotemporal dementia at the age of 66. Richard and Viv feel a little isolated as neither of them now drive which makes accessing local facilities or dementia support groups very difficult.

  • Background

    Richard is aged 68 and lives with his wife, Viv in a small village with limited transport connections. He ran his own kitchen design service for thirty years and is...

  • Joan

    Joan is experiencing some memory problems but she does not feel it is much of a problem. Joan’s husband helps her by keeping a note of appointments. Their daughter, who is a doctor, recommended Joan goes to a social group…

  • Background

    Joan, aged 72, is a retired nurse who has five grown up children. She lives with her husband, Carl. Joan moved to Britain from Jamaica when she was a teenager....

  • Robert

    Robert finds he forgets plans and conversations very quickly. He was sorry when he missed meeting up with a friend, he felt he had let him down. Robert enjoys the social café for older people where they reminisce about living…

  • Background

    Robert, aged 82, trained as a carpenter in Jamaica before he came to live in England in 1960. Work was hard and he was paid very little. Robert is 82...

  • Sir Terry Pratchett

    After some false diagnoses, Terry was diagnosed in 2007 with a rare form of early-onset dementia called Posterior Cortical Atrophy, known as PCA. He started having problems reading and writing. Terry published several novels after his diagnosis which he created…

  • Background

    Sir Terry Pratchett was a best-selling author, known for his humour, satire and fantasy novels. He wrote stories and articles for his school magazine. When he left school, he trained...

  • Phil

    Phil was first told he had mild cognitive impairment but after delays, a lumbar puncture, and scans, he was given diagnoses of Lewy Body dementia and Parkinson’s disease. He was informed by letters which were quite blunt and felt impersonal.

  • Background

    Phil was first told he had mild cognitive impairment but after delays, a lumbar puncture, and scans, he was given diagnoses of Lewy Body dementia and Parkinson’s disease. He was...

  • Lawrence

    Lawrence has been diagnosed with dementia and prescribed memantine. The medication was giving him side effects that he described as headaches, or a heaviness in his head. The doctor advised him to take the tablet at night to lessen this…

  • Background

    Lawrence, aged 81, lives with his wife and they have two adult children. His daughter lives nearby and visits every day, she is his main carer. Lawrence is a retired...

  • Andrew

    Andrew received a young onset dementia diagnosis at his HIV clinic after speaking to his consultant about memory concerns. Following his diagnosis, he was prescribed Galantamine which he feels has greatly improved his symptoms and improved his memory test results.

  • Background

    Andrew, aged 68, lives with his partner in a city by the seaside. He is a retired languages teacher and is fluent in French and German. He has lived in...

  • Peter

    After a delay due to Covid-19, Peter was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease. He is determined to be positive and live well with his memory problems. Peter feels that his dementia may be linked to hearing problems after working at a…

  • Background

    Peter, aged 72, is a retired hospitality manager and lives with his wife. He has always enjoyed researching his family history but since struggling with his memory, he has found...