A woman from Great Dunmow is hosting a 'Time for a Cuppa' fundraising event in memory of her mum, who lived with Parkinson's disease and dementia.
Joanne Jeyes, 52, was living in Singapore when she noticed changes in her mum Maureen Pasquale's behaviour during their regular video calls.
Maureen - who Joanne described as a "fabulous dancer" right up until her death - had stopped going out and appeared to be in a low mood, and when Joanne visited the UK Maureen shared that she was becoming more forgetful.
After visiting the doctor and undergoing tests, Maureen was initially diagnosed with Parkinson's disease. But as her memory continued to decline, she went back to the doctor in 2017 and underwent memory tests, which confirmed she also had dementia.
Joanne said: "Mum knew something was wrong, but she refused to go to the doctor for three years. Her dad had Parkinson’s disease, so she had lived through the devastation of it.
"Dad was more and more worried that mum was forgetting things and doing odd things like putting the electric kettle on the gas hob and leaving the front door open.
"It was only later we learned a lot of things he’d kept hidden such as mum not sleeping and her panic attacks."
Maureen was also a carer for her husband Vic, who lived with psoriatic arthritis and chronic pain.
In December 2020, Maureen and Vic were both hospitalised with COVID-19, and Vic sadly died.
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Maureen then went to live with Joanne and her family, but covid accelerated her decline and she was placed in full-time residential care. She died two years later in July 2022.
To support Dementia UK's Time for a Cuppa fundraiser, Joanne is hosting an event at her home in Dunmow for family, friends and neighbours to share a cup of tea and cake in memory of her mum.
Joanne said: "My mum absolutely adored afternoon tea and cake, but as her dementia progressed, she lost all interest.
"Losing the joy of sharing a cup of tea and a chat was the hardest part of losing mum to dementia."
By making Time for a Cuppa, you can help ensure no one has to face dementia alone. Sign up for your free Time for a Cuppa fundraising pack here.
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