13/02/2024
‘It was utterly devastating. Every now and again I had glimpses of the daddy who had looked after me and had been my support and my rock.’
Actress Miriam Margolyes has shared a personal story about her father Joseph’s battle with dementia in support of our awareness campaign, The Ultimate Vow.
‘When my father developed his symptoms in his early 90s, I had a feeling that something was wrong, but I tried to push it away.’
‘It was only when neighbours phoned me and said daddy was on their doorstep saying that they were in his house, that I realised he couldn’t be left on his own anymore.’
Miriam has also discussed the effects of dementia on a relationship.
‘Unfortunately, as you get older and when illness strikes, the whole basis of your relationship changes.’
‘Dependency changes, expectation changes, capacity changes.’
The actress revealed she felt the situation was unfair as he had been a ‘good, kind, loving man’ who ‘seemed to disappear’ in front of her eyes.
‘I couldn’t deal with it – I didn’t know what to do or who to ask.’
‘The person that you fell in love with and longed to be with when you began your love affair, then at the end of your lives, there is a stark realisation that things have changed utterly and forever.’
Read more about The Ultimate Vow campaign at https://bit.ly/428M6Ar
Photo: Jennifer Robertson – Kyte Photography.