Charity supporters speak of heartbreaking experience of dementia at Alzheimer’s Show at EventCity

A singer-songwriter, actress and dementia nurse will all talk of how the condition has impacted their lives and how they use their experience to help others at the Alzheimer’s Show in Manchester this week (June 23 and 24).

Singer-songwriter Rupert Stroud was recognised as a Champion of Alzheimer’s Research UK for his work to raise money and awareness of the impact dementia has had on his life. He lost his grandmother to Alzheimer’s in 2009 and has gone on to raise more than £7,600 for dementia research through charity concerts in her memory.

Meanwhile TV and theatre actress Elianne Hawley’s life was turned upside down after her mum was diagnosed with a rare form of dementia called frontotemporal dementia, aged just 67. She was cared for at home by Elianne and her family for several years, then moved into a care home last year. Elianne is committed to doing all she can to raise awareness of dementia and its many symptoms, regularly sharing her experience and raising money for dementia research.

Elianne and Rupert will both share their experiences with the public at the Alzheimer’s Show on Friday 23 June representing Alzheimer’s Research UK, the event’s Research Partner.

On Saturday 24 June, Alzheimer’s Research UK champion Sophie Howarth will also talk about how she became a dementia nurse after seeing her late gran Violet deteriorate from vascular disease.

Sophie said:

“My experience of caring for Gran has made me determined to do everything I can to raise awareness of dementia and the work Alzheimer’s Research UK does. When Gran first became unwell she lived in her own house but started to neglect everything and began to have falls.

“Caring for Gran soon became a 24-hour job, I moved in to care for her when I was 23 but eventually I had to accept that I couldn’t cope. It became too much for Gran as well. It broke my heart when she went into care and then when she passed away earlier this year but I know she’d be proud if she knew I had gone on to train as a dementia nurse.”

The charity’s supporters will also be joined by dementia research experts who will talk about the latest developments in dementia research.

On Friday 23 June, Dr Rosa Sancho, Head of Research at Alzheimer’s Research UK, will give a talk on what is currently known about dementia, exploring the complex field of dementia research and the progress being made by researchers across the world.

The following day Dr David Brough, an Alzheimer’s Research UK-funded researcher at the University of Manchester, will talk about his work looking at whether drugs that dampen down inflammation could be used to treat Alzheimer’s disease.

Following both talks, visitors will have the chance to put their questions to a panel of experts.

Dr Sancho said:

“This is an exciting time for dementia research with considerable national and international focus on speeding up the pioneering research we need to find new treatments for the diseases that cause dementia.

“I’m looking forward to sharing the latest news about development in dementia research, and answering any questions people have about the progress being made.”

Alzheimer’s Research UK will have a stand (A10) at the event where people can drop in and find out more about the charity and the groundbreaking work it does.

There will also be an opportunity for people to pick up free information about dementia and find out more about how to get involved in research, as a member of the charity’s Infoline team will be on hand to answer any questions.

For full details about The Alzheimer’s Show and to book your tickets please visit http://alzheimersshow.co.uk. Alzheimer’s Research UK supporters receive a 50% discount with code ‘ARUK50’