Dementia and my mother: The Mayor of Waltham Forest's story

“It’s really important that people know how to prevent dementia rather than accepting it as a natural part of growing older.”

Cllr Sharon Waldron, Mayor of Waltham Forest, is raising money for a cause close to her heart.

One of the Mayor’s charities for 2024-25 is the Alzheimer’s Society. The Mayor has chosen this after seeing the impact that dementia has on her aunt and her mother.

She said, “I decided to start raising funds for the Alzheimer’s Society as this is quite personal for me and my family.

“I saw how it ravaged my aunt when she had Alzheimer’s - she deteriorated quickly and lost the ability to function, reverting to childlike behaviour and unable to look after herself.

“When my mother got vascular dementia, we watched a similar deterioration. She has declined to the point where she can’t do anything for herself: she’s bedbound, we have to feed and clothe her, and she has lots of hallucinations. Sometimes, she’ll be in bed, but she thinks she’s sitting on the roof of the house or the garden. And she’ll often tell us off for not feeding the guests, even though there’s no one else in the house.”

Dementia refers to symptoms which can affect memory, problem-solving, language and behaviour over time. It is progressive, which means symptoms can start mild but get worse. Alzheimer’s is the most common form of dementia.

Cllr Waldron described her mother as a figure of the community before getting dementia, working in the maternity ward at Whipps Cross Hospital and being a pastor at her church.

She said, “Mum loved looking after people. We called her a “feeder”, she would never let anyone go hungry and thirsty. So, it’s very sad to see her go from that to where she is now, losing her independence piece by piece.”

Waltham Forest Council helps people living with dementia through our day service offer at the Dementia Hub and the Intensive Outreach Service which involves carers visiting the homes of service users.

Cllr Waldron’s mother has a weekly visit from a carer, which she loves. Cllr Waldron added, “What I love about the Dementia Hub’s offer is how excited it makes my mum feel when they come. It’s the highlight of her week, and she is alert and engaged while they are here.

“The person who visits her is from Jamaica, just like my mother, so they talk about lots of things they both grew up with – music, food, places, arts and crafts. She sings to my mother, and they clap along together. That engagement slows down the disease as the brain is engaged.”

When asked why people should donate to research for dementia charities, Cllr Waldron said, “It’s so important to raise awareness about the impact of dementia.

“People think that a loved one will just forget who you are, but they forget how to do things, forget self-care, forget they’ve put the cooker on, they hallucinate a lot, get confused. It’s so important for people to understand the signs, why they are behaving like this – they are not being difficult.

“I believe it’s really important that people know how to prevent it rather than accept it as a natural part of growing old.”

As well as raising money for the Alzheimer’s Society, Cllr Waldron is keen to help the Dementia Hub fundraise for a café on the premises, which would offer a hot drink and a supportive network for carers, as well as being available for passers-by.