I couldn't understand my mother's dementia until a character from Rivals showed me the way

A mother was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease in January 2025 after months of dementia-like symptoms that accelerated following a bowel illness. She became confused on phone calls, stopped initiating daily chats, and sent erratic WhatsApp messages in a family group. A cousin checked her phone for a possible virus, leading to an assessment process that included questionnaires completed by close relatives. Family members reported changes in orientation to time, place, and person, plus behaviors like eating without an off-switch and difficulty adding Scrabble scores. The narrator experienced repeated crying episodes while commuting and at home, while children and her husband continued daily routines and observed her reactions.

Read at www.theguardian.com