Dementia affects the whole family

In 2018, we met four young people who have a relative living with dementia. Sam, Joe, Emily and Denneil told us about their experiences of watching their relative change, as well as sharing their insights on keeping connected to that person.

Here are their stories.

Denneil's poem

Spoken word poet Denneil Dunbar shares a poem with us that he has written about his mother, who has a diagnosis of dementia.

Denneil's story

Denneil is 20* years old and his mother has dementia. Here he tell us about how she shielded him from her diagnosis when he was a child, and how the condition affects her now.

Sam's story

Sam is 19*, and has a grandmother with a diagnosis of dementia. He remembers the first clues to her condition – and tells us how communication can continue, even once words have gone.

Emily's story

Emily is 16* and lives with her parents and grandmother, who has dementia. Emily tells us how she used to believe that dementia meant memory loss – but now realises it has a much wider impact.

Joseph's story

Joe is 17*, and has a grandmother living with dementia. He talks about the speed of the changes that took place and how he gets the best out of the time they have together.

Learn more about dementia and Alzheimer’s

Dementia affects people in different ways, depending on the type of dementia. The impact can be physical, emotional and psychological, and can also profoundly change the practicalities of everyday life. Find out more about the different types of dementia and check out our range of information leaflets

*at the time of filming