10/01/2026
It's been a while, hasn't it?
Life has a way of pulling you in different directions, but this page - and all of you - never left my mind. I started Living With Dementia after losing my Nan to Alzheimer's, and I'm back because the mission hasn't changed: raising awareness, supporting each other, and pushing for better.
So where have I been? I've spent the last few years obtaining my Mental Health Nursing degree and working on later life units - five years alongside people living with dementia.
Every single message you've sent me, every frustration you've shared, every story about feeling unheard or dismissed - I took all of that with me into my work. When I didn't agree with certain practices, I spoke up. Even when it annoyed senior staff. Even when it ruffled doctors. Because your voices mattered, and they deserved to be heard on those wards.
That's thanks to you. This community shaped the nurse I became.
And speaking of progress - there's some genuinely hopeful news from right here in the UK.
Researchers at the University of Exeter have shown that Alzheimer's biomarkers can now be detected from a simple finger-prick blood sample done at home. No clinic visits, no fancy equipment. This means people who couldn't easily get to research centres - whether due to mobility, location, or circumstances - could now contribute to studies that might one day help us crack this thing.
And then there's Joan Lyon from Scotland. Diagnosed with Alzheimer's in 2023, she's now teaching nursing students about living with dementia.
She won a Great British Care Award for it. Her words hit home: "There's a significant lack of education about how prevalent this condition is."
She's proof that a diagnosis isn't the end. It's a different chapter.
I'm back. Let's keep talking. 💙
