The Dementia Adventure

Peter was depressed to the point of suicidal when he was diagnosed with early onset dementia. Had the Ipswich train not have been cancelled, Peter would not be here today. You won’t think it when you meet him! This jovial, raconteur, whose lust for life is infectious now calls his terminal illness his "Dementia Monster." It helps him to picture his dementia as something other, not inside him, not HIM. Peter says the more he smiles the grumpier his Dementia Monster becomes and that makes Peter laugh all the more. Peter says his dementia has and will rob him of so much, but that it hasn’t stopped him from being who he is and if there's something good that's come from it, it has forced him to live in the present moment. With his great friend Deb, Peter cycles all over Suffolk and though they realise that they can’t outrun his Dementia Monster, sometimes, together, they do out-cycle him! Leaning on their bikes they see only what is in front of them, content and happy just to be.  Presenter: @RosannaMiles; in association with @AlzResearchUK #InspireFund @SondertideT

Meet James Price whose wife has young onset Alzheimer's disease. James reflects on the complexities of caring for your lover and advocates making the most of your time together during the early parts of the disease. He explains why Admiral Nurses are vital, but that it's a postcode lottery. We explore what a truly compassionate society would look like, be it sympathetic restaurant staff, friends surprising you with their help, care-workers being paid a salary befitting their pivotal role, or having compassion for yourself when necessity dictates that your loved one move into residential care. Presented by Rosanna Miles and Alzheimer's Research UK: @rosannamiles @AlzResearchUK #InspireFund

Meet Katy Stubbs PhD from Alzheimer’s Research UK, who reveals three key ways we can look after our beautiful brains. And the good news is they’re easy and fun. Katy shares some of the research into brain health, and the actions needed at a societal level to embed these messages and support positive change. This podcast is brought to you by Alzheimer's Research UK's Inspire Fund and produced and presented by Rosanna Miles @rosannamiles SondertideT @AlzResearchUK @KatyLStubbs

Meet Sue Strachan who lives with dementia and learning to live well. Sue tells her unique story. As she says, “you know the old saying - if you’ve met one person with dementia, you’ve met ONE person with dementia; we're all different.” Sue busts myths, refuses to be sidelined and reveals how she has found purpose and positivity in the face of this awful disease. Sue is featured in Channel 4's series, The Restaurant that makes Mistakes, and has raised over £21,000 for Alzheimer's Research UK. This podcast is brought to you by Alzheimer's Research UK's Inspire Fund. It is produced and presented by Rosanna Miles @rosannamiles @SondertideT  

We meet epidemiologist, research fellow of University College London and dementia advocate, Dr Sarah-Naomi James. Dr Sarah is studying people over time to see if patterns emerge in those who develop dementia symptoms. Dr Sarah reveals that there is an understanding amongst the scientific community that symptoms of dementia tend to present 15 years after physical changes in the brain take place. She terms this her window of hope. Her hope is that if we can improve our ability to spot physical triggers in the brain, we have a window of opportunity in which to slow the onset symptoms.  Dr Sarah is also the co-creator of The Window - a binaural (3D) audio play created in collaboration with playwright Rachel Briscoe from Fast Familiar https://fastfamiliar.com/about/. It is based on a fictional story that interweaves a radio presenter’s personal experience of her mother’s dementia alongside her work interviewing a dementia researcher. Audiences will explore their own experiences, feelings, misconceptions and attitudes towards dementia. Released on 31st March 2021. Check out alzheimersresearchuk.org to access the show and follow Dr Sarah on Twitter @Sarah_naomi_1. This podcast is brought to you by Alzheimer's Research UK's Inspire Fund. It is produced and presented by Rosanna Miles @rosannamiles @SondertideT

Actor, Kate Russell-Smith, has a mother with Alzheimer's Dementia and a father with Parkinson's Dementia. She also has two children and a career to take care of. In this frank interview, Kate bravely admits the things we don't like to say out loud. She feels resentful of her time being hijacked; she feels guilty for feeling resentful and she is bored of the monotony of it all. Driving away from a care home with tears in her eyes, her mum's words ring in her ears, "I hate you right now."

When someone you love receives a diagnosis of Dementia, you may walk into that Doctor's surgery as a husband or wife but you walk out as a carer and who is there to care for you? Meet Mandie Baker, who has been providing information and support for family carers for the last 2 decades. Practical, down to earth and always ready to laugh, Mandie can provide some well-deserved care for you.

We meet Bryn Jones: mindfulness-based psychotherapist, drama & movement therapist, theatre director, former Buddhist monk and son of a mum with Alzheimer’s. Bryn explores how mindfulness can help us learn to accept the ever-fluctuating effects of dementia and thereby alleviate our suffering. Drama and movement therapy uses story, movement, and music to support dementia experiencers, their friends and family. It utilises the right hemispheres of our brain, so rather than focusing on the rational we are able to celebrate the intuitive, creative and imaginative parts of ourselves, which arguably, is what dementia does too. This episode is brought to you in association with Alzheimer's Research UK. Connect with us on Twitter: @SondertideT #TheDementiaAdventure @AlzResearchUK #InspireFund @RosannaMiles

We meet Dr Amy Monoghan, pharmacology & screening scientist and molecular biologist, who reveals what's going on within the Drug and Discovery Institute funded by Alzheimer's Research UK. The Institute's overriding goal is to develop new drugs to delay onset and prevent dementias. Dementia is not an inevitable part of growing older; i is a physical disease and as such it's possible that Amy and her team can discover a cure. 

We meet NHS Speech and Language Therapist, Barbara Horne. Dementia/Azheimer's can hamper communication, effecting speech, language and thought processes. Barbara shares ideas and strategies to help us maintain our communication, enhance our conversations and stay connected to our loved ones. Connect with us on Twitter: @SondertideT #DementiaAdventure This episode is brought to you in association with Alzheimer's Research UK: @AlzResearchUK #InspireFund