Aug 4, 2021
This is a conversation with Robert Hogg whose wife Sophie was featured in an earlier podcast. Robert tells us a little about his background, meeting Sophie, and his work as a lorry driver. He describes their reaction to Sophie's diagnosis of vascular dementia and how this made Sophie feel very anxious about the future. Robert's practical and emotional support has been crucial to how they have managed this diagnosis as a couple. They have had to develop systems and approaches which work for them both: his sense of humour has helped enormously ,as has talking and listening. Both Sophie and Robert found the supper club for people living with dementia and their carers a useful support group and which he hopes will restart. As he observes people and families all react differently to the condition and its impact on their lives and different things suit different people. Covid and lockdown have certainly affected their day-to-day lives, Robert feels that Sophie has been more anxious, her confidence being outside the house or in shops has been shaken and her moods have been a bit more variable. His response to these changes is to keep busy plan ahead and plan an alternative. We could all benefit from adopting a bit of Robert's philosophy.