Only few things are more cruel than dementia.
I lost my Granny in 2016, but really, we had lost her some time before that.
Revisiting her battle with the disease does feel a bit like reopening a wound as I remember profoundly believing we were losing a little more and more of her as each day passed.
My mum described it really well at the time - it’s a bit like a grown adult slowly reverting back to their childhood.
It makes the time in between all the more precious as you know you won’t have them around mentally for much longer, which is why I sympathise with anybody who has a loved one residing in a care home right now.
I couldn’t imagine now how Granny would have coped during a global pandemic, only able to see us once a week in a fixed time slot. I know it would have absolutely devastated her.
Even with us around her in her own home, she was still very much isolated in the later days of her condition. Not having us there by her side would undoubtedly have made an already confusing time much more lonely for her, so it’s painful to imagine how those in care homes must feel.
Families of those affected by dementia shouldn’t be separated even further from their loved ones as a result of the pandemic - the disease is already so time-robbing.
For a family to be reunited only at the point of end of life also seems a bit criminal.
The reality of the illness is feeling a sense of hopelessness and frustration as a loved one slowly fades away as you wish for a miracle that doesn't exist.
I hope those who have had time taken away from their families as a result of coronavirus can hold onto fond memories that have been left behind.
I know if the tables were turned and I could see my family or friends for only 30 minutes once a week, it would have a detrimental impact on me, too.
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