"My wife, who was diagnosed as suffering Alzheimer's 2011"

Our GP referred us to the Coventry Memory Clinic in December 2010 and we were contacted by them fairly quickly in 2011. In February, we received a visit by their Psychologist staff who carried out their tests and said the results would be studied and then possibly carry out more tests. In March, my wife was given a head scan at the University Hospital, Coventry.

In May we had another visit from the Coventry Memory Clinic and they carried out more tests.

We received a request to attend an appointment with a doctor at the Tile Hill Medical Centre, Coventry in July. He explained that the tests my wife had undertaken and the head scan had revealed that she had early signs of Dementia, Alzheimer's illness and to monitor her behaviour/memory and any unusual signs in her behaviour over the next 6 months.

In February 2012, we visited the Age U. K. office in Coventry with the object of getting in touch with the Alzheimer's Society and left our contact details. A month later, we visited the Age U. K. office again to find out why we had not been contacted as promised. They could not find any record of our previous visit so we started all over again!

In March, we received a visit at home by a Dementia adviser from the Alzheimer's Society. This was a very informative meeting and she explained how we could be affected by progressive Alzheimer's. She said she would be visiting us again soon and obtain a visit for us to attend an Alz Cafe meeting.

During our second visit to see the docotr at Tile Hill, he suggested we take out a Power of Attorney, if we had not already done so, for any eventuality and that I should contact the DVLA over my wife's ability to drive, as he didn't think that she should be driving and also my Vehicle Insurance Company. We started the POA with our Solicitor which was progressing, and I duly phoned the DVLA who stated that they would decide whether she should carry on driving and not the doctor! They would consider the medical reports and let us know in about 6 weeks time. The Insurance Company did not particularly appear interested!

At the end of March, we were visited again, as previously arranged by our dementia advisor, who discussed the Caring side of Alzheimer's. Our advisor had also brought with her some of the excellent literature that the Alzheimer's Society produce on Caring and the Dementia Illness. She also gave me details of a Carers Course for me to attend to be held over 4 separate Wednesdays in the City Arcade Centre.

We have subsequently attended Alzheimer Society meetings almost weekly and in some cases twice a week. They are all excellently run by the Alzheimer Society Staff and their volunteer band of dedicated helpers, and I know that My wife enjoys the group meetings, sometimes with the Carers and occasionally on their own.

Due to my apparent conflict with our doctor's report on our second meeting, our third meeting was switched to see a different doctor at Wood End Medical Centre, Coventry. This went along a lot better, probably helped by being able to understand this doctor's speech better. The doctor explained the problem that taking the available drugs to combat Alzheimer's can lead to bad side effects particularly when the patient, as in my wife's case, has an asthmatic history.

We have not seen a report of our meeting with this new doctor, although I did contact his office to let them know that my wife had decided not proceed along the drug route.

This appears to be the end of the road as regards medical treatment as confirmed by our GP at a recent meeting.

Although my wife continues to enjoy the Alzheimer's Society group meetings and I have already enlisted for a further Carers Course, nothing has been suggested regarding trying to improve my Wife's memory condition.