In November 2023, I moved both of my parents into a care home. To make this statement without context sounds callous, but it is very far from the true story. My Dad, a wonderful, fun, Christian, sports loving man, was diagnosed with Dementia and Alzheimer’s in 2021. My Mum, a fiercely independent and loyal woman, was diagnosed with Dementia last year.

They both wanted to remain in their much-loved London home and for years, my brother and I supported them in doing this. But dementia slowly stole this wish from them. Small incidents slowly became big incidents, resulting in numerous hospitalisations and a situation where one of us had to remain in London, away from our own families in the Midlands and t’Yorkshire, as we thought our parents might otherwise die.

It simply wasn’t safe to leave them, even for one night. When people tell me that they would never put their parents into a care home, I describe in graphic detail what looking after my parents involved, and watch shock give way to realisation. We had no choice.

Dementia is a cruel, double edged sword. It is difficult to understand how much we all rely on memory, until it fails. Even asking how somebody is doing can throw somebody with dementia into panic. They know that an answer is required, but because their short term memory has gone, they honestly don’t know what that answer is. They reach back into older memories, and might remember a cup of tea was drunk when this question was asked in the past.

The answer comes: “kettle”. For the person with dementia, the answer is perfectly logical, but the questioner is left confused.

Mum and Dad have little memory of their last year in London, which is probably a good thing. But this means that they do not fully understand what has happened to them and why they now live where they do.

Ask them about past sporting events, holidays, family history, songs, or other older subjects and you will have a lovely conversation. Ask them about Leicester’s current sporting performance or Donald Trump’s attempts to Nazify the world, and you may well receive the answer: “kettle”. Perhaps that is what Trump needs.

But please do go and see them. They are unique people who forged their path in life their own way and have fascinating stories to recall.

I struggled with whether I should ask people for money for a Marathon that I want to do anyway. That is why I’m asking you to donate half now, and half if I manage to complete the Marathon in under three hours. This should be a challenge and not a walk in the park.

One of the tragedies of Alzheimer’s and dementia is that you must watch the personality that you love slowly slip away, as the disease progresses. Anything you are able to give in order for research into slowing this decline, so it becomes less arduous for others that have to endure it, would be welcome.