One of our Maerskathon team members has first-hand experience of Alzheimer’s:

Sandra’s
story…

My brother has endured his fair share of health issues after being diagnosed with Asperger’s from a young age.  Over the years type 1 diabetes, chronic kidney disease, angina and Parkinsons were added too.  Day to day living was tough but we coped.

Graham had a very difficult childhood and struggled to build relationships at school.  At the age of 16 he began full time employment and remained with the same employer throughout his working life.

Not long after his 55^th birthday he was diagnosed with vascular dementia and had to give up work. His day to day routine was gone and he did not understand why.  He has no short term memory and day to day living can be challenging for Graham.  His 3 sisters are his full time carers.

Graham is now 57 and has deteriorated rapidly.  Grampian Health Care Trust provide no day to day assistance. Fortunately a work colleague suggested the Forget me Not club in Banchory and Graham now attends 1 day per week. This allows him to keep his mind and body as active as possible while maintaining social relationships in a controlled environment.  The club has been a welcome respite for our sister, who looks after Graham on a daily basis while managing her own health issues.

Graham is a gentle giant, very trusting of others and always has a smile on his face, he is adored by his three sisters.  The future for Graham is unknown, however, raising funds to aid Alzheimer’s research could still lead to good things in Graham’s lifetime – and anything to help improve his quality of life is worth every penny.