A cuppa for mum: 10 years living with dementia
Friday 17th Apr
There’s something simple and comforting about a cup of tea. It’s warmth, routine, conversation, often the quiet moments that bring people together. But for families living with dementia, those moments can slowly become something else entirely: confusing, fragile, and sometimes heartbreaking.
This is why I’m supporting **Time for a Cuppa** in aid of Dementia UK.
My mum has been living with dementia for 10 years. A whole decade of watching someone you love gradually change in ways you never imagined. Dementia doesn’t just affect memory, it reshapes personality, communication, independence, and connection. And it doesn’t just affect the person diagnosed; it ripples through the entire family.
At first, it was small things. Forgetting names. Repeating questions. Misplacing items. Things you might brush off or explain away. But over time, those moments became more frequent, more significant. Conversations became harder. Familiar routines started to disappear. The person we knew so well began to slip away, bit by bit.
There’s a grief that comes with dementia that’s hard to explain. It’s not sudden or defined, it’s ongoing. You’re grieving someone who is still here, sitting right in front of you, yet somehow not the same. And that’s one of the hardest parts.
As a family, it’s been incredibly tough. The emotional toll is constant, worry, sadness, frustration, guilt. There are days when you feel helpless, when you don’t know the right thing to say or do. There are moments of exhaustion, especially when caring responsibilities increase and the balance of life shifts completely.
But alongside all of that, there is still love. There are still moments, small, precious ones, that remind you why you keep going. A smile. A shared laugh. A brief flicker of recognition. Those moments matter more than ever.
This is where Dementia UK makes such a difference. Their specialist nurses, known as Admiral Nurses, provide support not just for those living with dementia, but for families like mine who are navigating the challenges every day. They offer guidance, understanding, and reassurance when it feels like everything is uncertain.
That’s why **Time for a Cuppa** is so important.
It’s more than just sitting down with a drink, it’s about raising awareness, starting conversations, and supporting families who are going through this journey. Every cup of tea shared helps fund vital services that so many of us rely on.
Because behind every cup poured, there’s a family like mine who needs support, understanding, and hope.
Thank you for reading, and for helping make a difference, one cuppa at a time.
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What a lovely way to raise money for something so personal to you, and for so many other families who have gone through, or are going through, this too. Wishing you all the best with your fundraising. Robyn xx