Our Story
Who are we? D&G?
We are David and Grace, the less famous version of D&G. Together for over 25 years, we have two adult children: Rutger and Sarah.
Grace is one of the warmest people you wil meet. Happy go lucky, she was always very positive and relaxed . I feel like I am luckiest man on the planet to have met Grace and have spent the best part of well over 25 years with her. …and there will be more good years with her.
And me? I am the more awkward of the two of us. Causing trouble and always needing Grace to reign me in. Despite our ups and downs, we are good team.
Why do this blog?
In December 2020, Grace was formally diagnosed with FTD (Frontotemporal Dementia). A type of early age dementia that impacts younger people, typically between the ages of 40 and 65.
Grace is now in full time residential care in Rotterdam in the Netherlands, and I live just down the road in one of the suburbs.
We want to share our story, to help inform those diagnosed with early age dementia, their partners, children, loved ones, caregivers and the wider community.
What I (David) write (for me and on behalf of Grace) here is a near open, as I can be, account of our living journey. So that those impacted by this disease do not feel alone. To help them by sharing the lessons I learnt, the things that went well and the things that did not.
Feedback is Welcome, But Please Be Kind
Please feel free to reach out to us, using the contact form regards any feedback and suggestions. This is a living web site and should all ways reflect the most current learnings regards early age dementia.
The only thing we ask is that you be kind. As anyone who looks after someone with dementia knows, it is a pretty tough experience.
Loved ones and caregivers go through a horrible set of different emotions. The experience is often referred to as the ‘long goodbye’, as you watch your loved one decline over time.
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