Turner noticed she was becoming increasingly forgetful which prompted her to seek help.
“I think deep down I knew that it was dementia, and it just put things into perspective so that I could move on and start to put my life in order,” she said.
She can no longer drive, and her husband takes care of the cooking, which she describes as a “frustrating loss of independence”.
“But being the stubborn person that I am, I’m extremely passionate about breaking the stigma that’s connected with dementia so that there is the same compassion as with cancer.”
“The only way I can describe it as being on a train journey, I don’t know at which stop the dementia is going to creep in and increase in my head,” she said.
“But in the meantime, I’m throwing myself into art, sowing, gardening, and just basically keeping myself as active as I can.”
She adds that social interaction is also vital, which is why she goes to a weekly dementia group at St James Church in Taunton.
“I would encourage anyone who is starting to get increasingly forgetful to go and see your GP and please get tested.”
