Chorley man who suffers with dementia speaks out to help others

John Owens had been experiencing tiredness and forgetfulness for ‘quite some time’ which he attributed to stress.

But when he struggled to remember his wife’s name he decided to go to his GP and ask for help.

That visit began a series of tests which has, he says, completely changed his life.

Speaking to highlight Dementia Action Week (May 16-22), John, 64, was diagnosed with the condition in December.

He said: “I was already aware there was a problem, but maybe not fully aware of the extent of it.”

John’s GP carried out some tests at the start of last year and referred him to a Memory Clinic, which led to nine months of further testing.

He said: “I had all sorts of tests. Some were ok but I found some very debilitating. It’s very in your face when they do the assessments that there’s something wrong."