Treatment & Support
In this episode of our franchise owner, Jean Allen’s experience of her Dad’s Alzheimer’s, Jean looks at treatment and support services that have helped her and Mike, navigate life with dementia.
Jean’s advice is to keep pushing the doors open, don’t travel the journey alone. Dementia affects everyone differently, which is why different support works at different times and the right support should never be one-size-fits-all.
Treatment
Following Dad’s diagnosis, he was offered medication designed to slow the progression of Alzheimer’s.
It was simple enough—just one tablet a day, with minimal side effects.
He took them for three weeks.
Then he stopped.
Not because of side effects. Not because they weren’t working. Simply because he decided he didn’t like taking tablets.
This is one of the realities of Alzheimer’s. Decisions don’t always follow logic, and reasoning doesn’t always help. As much as I wanted him to continue, I knew this was a moment to choose my battles carefully.
So, I let it go.
Support
While treatment options are limited, support is not.
We were introduced to a range of incredibly valuable services, and I quickly learned something important: there isn’t a single solution that works for everyone.
Here are a few that made a difference for us:
- Admiral Nurse Dementia Helpline – A fantastic source of emotional, practical, and medical advice. I personally used this service to talk through my frustrations about Dad stopping his medication.
- Age UK Advice Line – Helpful for navigating the often-complex world of social care and support services.
- Age Well East – Particularly valuable for help with benefits applications. Having trained professionals guide you through forms makes a huge difference.
- Alzheimer’s Society – A go-to organisation for information, guidance, and local support.
This is just a small number of the organisations available for support. There is some overlap between services, and that can feel confusing at first. But the key takeaway is this:
Keep trying. Don’t give up. Different support works at different times—and you will likely benefit from a mix of it.
