Hello, my name is Carol and I was diagnosed with Younger Onset Alzheimer’s Disease in December 2015.

I had various problems and issues for over twenty years, which began in my mid thirties. When I received my diagnosis it was therefore not such a dreadful thing, but a huge relief that there was actually a valid reason for what was going on.

I could now understand and deal with this new life. I could seek further help and advice, read up on literature and ask questions to know what this thing is and how to deal with it.

From this moment on I could plan my life around my dementia, and put in place strategies to help me cope with the symptoms. One of the things I have found incredibly useful is the techniques I have learned from being involved in the original GREAT Cognitive Rehabilitation clinical trial. As well as benefiting from the specific strategies I developed as part of the therapy, I also developed a set of tools and techniques that I can now apply to pretty much any problem I come across. GREAT Cognitive Rehabilitation has helped (and is still helping me, 2 years on!) to find ways to tackle the problems that arise with everyday tasks.

I am involved as part of the GREAT Cognitive Rehabilitation team because I am living proof of the value that this therapy can have for people living with dementia, and I passionately want to see it rolled out across the country to help as many people like me live as well as possible with their dementia.