Mum has early Alzheimer’s and needs 24-hour care. Where’s the help we were promised? | Chris King

Despite the promises made by David Cameron, dementia care is being swept away, leaving families such as mine desperate

A report on Friday suggested that dementia might not be the epidemic we had been led to believe, showing that there were 22% fewer people aged over 65 with dementia in 2011 than had been predicted in 1990. But even one case of this devastating illness is one too many. My mum was diagnosed with early onset Alzheimer’s disease, which affects about 14,000 people aged under 65 in the UK, three years ago. At the time, my dad said she “would not be what she was”, and he wasn’t wrong. My mum was an inspirational woman who worked harder than anyone I have ever met, ran the family home like a military operation, and was active, healthy and successful. I always imagined this kind, loving woman would be around for ever. But what was once second nature to her is now a daily struggle.

I liken Alzheimer’s disease to a burglar who keeps coming back, no matter how many security systems you put in place, taking more and more until there is nothing left. It is a uniquely cruel disease that dismantles personalities and strips away the ability to perform basic tasks, such as washing and getting dressed, while triggering deeply upsetting behaviours.

My mum did everything right in her life. Now she is being catastrophically let down by those who should be helping her

Related: Dementia not the epidemic it was feared to be, say academics

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