They say time is a great healer, I am not so sure - world Alzheimer. Month September

They say time is a great healer, I am not so sure

They say time is a great healer, I am not so sure. After five years of caring for my mum and the journey we faced towards the end I wonder if the concept of recovery can ever truly apply to me.

The life of a carer can be a lonely one. In my case, our  journey was characterised by much isolation and loneliness, even despite all of the activity of my awareness campaign. I often wonder what happens to the broken hearted? What happens to people who have cared for a loved for much longer than I did? How do carers fit back in?

If it wasn’t for the on-going work I do which soaks up my time and energy and the kindness of people who support my campaign then there would be nothing.

Often we lose friends the longer we care and when we lose a loved one we also lose part of the direction and purpose of our lives. As the caring journey progressed, we lost contact with everyone apart from my mum’s sister and family and one or two friends. My mum was also my best pal and the loneliness and isolation I experienced at the time has only got worse since her passing. I am lucky in many ways for the kindness to my campaign but as lonely as I feel when I walk in this house I feel for others who will have no one at all.

I want to challenge this as part of my campaign. We can’t cure dementia as of yet, but we can address loneliness and isolation - a tragedy that we as a society can all help fix .If you know someone who might need a friend who is lost and alone ,you can change that. It does not take strategies or policies just a bit of time and thought.

But for the kindness of people who support this campaign I would have little. I long for the day we should not need a campaign to take away loneliness

Tommy