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Hello! My name is Daryl -

Welcome to my website!

*** updated: November 2021 - after 9 years! ***

Life-changing news:

I have been diagnosed with

Alzheimer's Disease!

—> The Alzheimer's Society <—

My Alzheimer’s News

Thursday 23 June 2011

I have been diagnosed with Alzheimer's Disease today at the Queens Medical Centre in Nottingham. Although it is still in very early stages, slight forgetfulness has been creeping in... and I am just glad that I now know what is the matter, and for it to be out in the 'open' as it were.

From this point on, this webpage will be dedicated to helping the Alzheimer's organisation in anyway that I can, and look forward to your support when I get more information on the illness and what we can do... whilst I still can. Please show your support by clicking the blue-highlighted Alzheimer’s Society link above, and learn more on the illness and the physical affects it has on people with the illness.

My Mam and me... we both have dementia

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Friday 5 August 2011

Today I start my Alzheimer's drug treatment, which has arrived from the Working Age Dementia clinic. It is called Donezepil and is used to help slow down the progression of Alzheimer's disease... although it isn't a cure, it will help me through the coming months and years try and live my life as I am now... a little forgetful, but still aware... which is good news for the short-term.

There is no going back as from today... once I put that first tablet in my mouth then I know that this is all real and must face whatever happens with my usual dignity and grace... yeah right!

I am going to fight this all the way! I might not end up winning the war, but I will not go down without fighting... that just isn't my nature!

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Tuesday 23 August 2011

I have seen a CPN (community psychiatric nurse) that deals with people with Alzheimer's and dementia today.

She has been extremely helpful and understanding. She explained to me what will happen in the future, with respect and dignity for my feelings, arranged for me to get my medications in blister packs to help me take my tablets on time, at the right time, without me having to keep sorting them out too. She is arranging for someone from the Welfare Rights to come and see me and to make sure that I am getting fully what I am entitled to because of my Alzheimer's disease and other plans and ideas that will help me in the future, as the illness progresses.

We are having a monthly appointment, and I have also seen a psychiatrist who deals with dementia, and he was very helpful and understanding too and I have another appointment with him in three months time.

Although I am still in some shock with the diagnosis of the disease, now that I am receiving full professional help and care, the future doesn't seem daunting as much as it did and hopefully will have quite a few more years ahead of me to make my own decisions, albeit with people there to help me with this.

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Friday 13 January 2012

My mother and I have been for our six monthly appointments at the dementia clinic.

My mother, Jill, has been diagnosed, at long last, with moderate/severe Alzheimer’s Disease and has been put on Aricept, which is a medication specially formulated for people with early/moderate Alzheimer’s Disease, and she has a review of that medication in another six weeks time.

I have been having spasms in my muscles on my arms, legs and back, and have been told that this can also be a symptom of Alzheimer’s Disease and I have got to discuss this with the dementia doctor when I next see him.

Hopefully the medication may help alleviate for awhile some of her symptoms, as her illness is progressing a lot more in severity now, but I am not holding out much hope with it… it is the inevitable conclusion of the illness we both have!

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Friday 10 February 2012

My stepfather, Richard McMurdo, has been diagnosed today with moderate dementia as well. I am now the carer of both my Mam and stepdad with dementia, and I have it too, yet the social services say they don’t meet criteria for them to live together in care… what is their idea of ‘criteria’? Have you got to be dead or something?!

My stepfather has had a heart operation over a month ago, and although we had noticed little things in his behaviour, we just thought it was having to cope with my mother, day in, day out, with our support from those that bother with them within the family, but after being discharged from hospital, we have all noticed a dramatic decline in his mental awareness and capabilities… and with him living with my Mam, who has moderate Alzheimer’s disease, a care support plan by his doctor has been put into place for both himself and my mother too.

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Friday 24 February 2012

After the most stressful few weeks that anyone could have imagined in a lifetime, I have had to put my mother, Jill, into respite care because of my stepfather’s dementia. He left her in the town centre, on her own, because he had forgotten something from their flat. He isn’t to blame, because he himself has dementia now, but it made me have to force the social services and my mother’s social worker get her put into emergency care because of what has happened, and as from today, my stepfather’s social worker has agreed to put my stepfather into the same respite home, so as they are both together, in their own worlds, but together in it, and getting all the professional care and help they have so desperately needed these past few months.

You can love them all your heart — but cruelly, I have found out that love isn’t enough — it certainly helps, and gets you through, but it isn’t enough… but when you have to take on two main professional bodies of the UK (the medical profession and the social services) you certainly have to hold your nerve, threaten them with the national media, show them you are resolute, and also perhaps have the same illness as your mother, to show them you mean business, and after the last few days… I certainly meant business, and I meant winning!

So now my Mam and my stepdad are in a residential home for the elderly, with specialist care for people with dementia, and I now know they are safe, if not well, and being cared for professionally, medically and personally and at long last I can now be their son again, and not their carer.

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Monday 26 March 2012

My Mam and Mac (my stepfather) have been allowed to go back to their flat after 4 weeks in respite care. My stepfather seems a lot better in himself mentally, but physically, he is still very ill. My Mam is just the same, and that will always be the case with her illness.

It will not be the same as it was before… the Social Worker will do a lot more than she normally did - I will make sure of it!

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Friday 13 April 2012

After an appointment at the dementia clinic, my Mam has finally been put on 10mg Aricept medication for her Alzheimer’s disease, after nearly 8 years since she was diagnosed with dementia, and it has been put onto her repeat prescriptions.

She seems to be reacting the the medication very well, with a slight improvement in her abilities to remember what she is doing for longer periods, remembering names and knowing where she is - which, believe me, is a vast improvement to how she has been in the past… so hopefully, for a few months to a maybe a good year, I can have much more of my old Mam back, and that will help me get through my Alzheimer’s disease, knowing I can talk to her as my Mam - and not like a child has to be spoken to, to make her comprehend what is happening.

A good few, precious times ahead… hopefully!

I hope that you have enjoyed your visit to my own personal website, and

I hope that you will visit again — soon!