Julie was diagnosed with young onset dementia (Alzheimer's) at the age of 55, she was 59 in October 2016. There are estimated to be at least 42,000 younger people with dementia in the UK, or more than 5 per cent of all those with dementia. Julie can no longer drive, read or write and is unaware of what day it is, where she lives, when her birthday is and many other aspects, and now needs 24-hour care.
The reason for doing the 2017 Virgin London Marathon:
- Raise awareness of this terrible disability, particularly behaviour and communication difficulties
- Campaign for an introduction of national screening for all adults over the age of 50 with a form of ‘Addenbrookes’ cognitive test
- Deliver a message that every person with Dementia should have the same NHS state support in managing their condition as any other disorder
- Increase NHS spend on dementia with focus on risk reduction and improvement of care in the community
- Say thank you to Alzheimer’s Society, the only Charity Foundation which offers Julie free care and helps Julie to be able to function from home and help retain Julies sense of identity and feeling of self worth
