FINDING THEIR WAY

Fiona met John, now 79, at a friend’s party when she was 20 years old, and they married a year later and began creating a life together. They shared hobbies and plans for a happy future together, however in 2021, those plans were stopped in their tracks by a life-changing diagnosis.

“John had always been very capable, reliable and able to do so many things, but suddenly he started to change. I started to realise he could have dementia, so my daughter and I decided to visit the GP on this behalf and jotted down a list of things we had noticed. The GP referred him for a dementia assessment at Sage House, which is a bespoke community hub for people with dementia and their families and carers, run by the charity Dementia Support.” Following the assessment, John was given a diagnosis of Alzheimer’s disease.

Thankfully, Fiona and John have received lots of support from their family following the diagnosis and Dementia Support has also been a lifeline for the couple. In 2024, John also started attending Day Breaks (respite day care) at Sage House.

“It really benefits us both as John gets to keep busy and have a laugh with everyone there, and the hope is that keeping his brain stimulated will also slow down the progress of his dementia. It also gives me time to do other things and not worry about how I’m going to keep John busy.

I can get some housework done, go into town or meet a friend for a coffee and get some time to myself, which is brilliant.” Fiona is incredibly grateful to DementiaSupport for the difference it has made to her and John’s lives. “The staff are so compassionate, helpful and welcoming and we love spending time at Sage House. I feel less alone and safer since finding them. If we didn’t have somewhere like Sage House to go to, I don’t know how we would cope – it is our lifeline. You feel part of a big family that have experienced and understand what you’re going through. You’re all on that journey together, supporting each other.”

THE CANDIS BIG GIVE AMOUNT RAISED: £52,455

• Dementia Support provides the latest support, information, advice and activities for people living with dementia and their families.
• The money raised in the Candis Big Give will be used to deliver dementia support services based from the charity’s Sage House hub and through its Community Outreach and advice bus, which is bringing dementia support to the local community.
• Sage House is based in Tangmere, West Sussex. It provides respite daycare services, drop-in activity sessions, a dementia-friendly hairdressers, an assisted bathing suite, a therapy room, different support groups for people going through various challenges, a dementia-friendly garden, a community cafe and a Wayfinding service. The Wayfinding service is an advice and emotional support service. The
• Wayfinder can help them through the dementia journey, providing both practical advice and emotional support to enable them to live well with dementia. Wayfinding advice is open to anyone affected by dementia, including children of the person living with dementia, their spouse and other family members who are affected in some way.
• Visit dementiasupport.org.uk or call 01243 888691 to find out more.