Jane Andrews knew something was very wrong when her husband Graham appeared at her bedside with a bunch of flowers, mistakenly thinking it was her birthday. After three decades of marriage, the couple had no idea that dementia was about to upend their lives. In the following years, Network Rail manager Jane watched Graham, 67, “slip away, piece by piece” as she struggled to access the right support.
She is sharing her family’s story in support of a new Alzheimer’s Society campaign which aims to shed light on a “forgotten crisis” across the UK. Jane, 61, said: “Even me, years ago, I thought dementia was just when you forget where your glasses are. But every case is different and it’s about educating people.
READ MORE: 'Caring for my 83-year-old father with dementia is pushing me to the brink' “Don’t stick your head in the sand if you think there is something not right. Get help, quickly, because otherwise it’s too late and you could lose valuable time. “If I can help one person get up and do something to help themselves or the person they’re caring for, then it’s time well spent.
” Graham’s symptoms began in 2018 when he would come home from work as a driving instructor exhausted and suffering from headaches. He then faced a long road to receiving a diagnosis - with doctors at various times putting his symptoms down to minor driving collisions, migraines, depression and Alzheimer’s. The family’s challenges were “magnified a million times by.