Alzheimer’s Society
Teresa Harrington, a Learning Facilitator based at the CareTech Holdings PLC head office in Potters Bar completed the Bedford Memory Walk raising £215 for the Alzheimer’s Society.
I was fortunate enough to attend the CareTech Care Awards 2017 and heard about the Foundation being planned and then the charity being in place announced at the awards the following year. I was then able to spend some time with Sara and hear more about the process.
My mother-in-law was diagnosed with Vascular Dementia two years ago. We saw her support her brother with dementia symptoms for a number of years before his death seven years ago. She experienced a stroke last August which left her needing full support in a residential setting.
My Mum started showing symptoms of mental ill health last year which culminated in her needing hospital support. She was given a dual diagnosis of Vascular Dementia and Alzheimer’s. If she hadn’t been hospitalised, the assessment would have taken months before she could even be seen by a specialist.
Our family has felt for some time that we need to do what we can to support the invaluable research of the Alzheimer’s Society. One of our hopes is that they can help to make the diagnosis process more effective. In addition to this research, they are also looking at the underlying causes of dementia, which with it being so prevalent in our family, we are very interested in. We are also looking to support the campaign for raising the profile of mental ill health as a priority within the NHS.
My daughter and I decided to start our support with a Memory Walk. I hoped to raise £100 and was thrilled that friends more than doubled this target to £215. Imagine my delight when the CareTech Foundation promised to double this again!
