My mums name is Joan Whitelaw she is not an illness or just a wee woman with dementia

Hi

To many times  caring for my mum I have witnessed my mum being viewed as her illness and not the person she is ,So on this sunny morning in Glasgow I hope I say this for all who need care ,are being cared for or will need care one day  I would like to say the following to all who walk through our door or  meet my mum , and I hope I speak for other people who have a loved one with this or any other illness when I say…

My mother’s name is Joan Whitelaw. She was born  July 1939.

She has been:

• a daughter,
• a sister,
• a wife,
• a mother,
• a grandmother
• a friend,
• a workmate,
• a neighbour,
• a valued member of her community,
• a true, honest and dignified lady

and, like so many others of the 82,000 plus people in Scotland, she is now to often labelled as ‘a wee women with dementia’. An illness we, at this time, have no cure for,