My story

Hi, my name is Cici.

My Dad, Neil, was my best friend (that’s us chilling in the photo). He supported me no matter what and was a loving, generous, and kind man.

I was 11 years old when Dad got his diagnosis of PCA Dementia, and I became a young carer at the age of 14. I remember how alone and confused I felt, not knowing where to look for information.

I was a keen student and a very curious child (most people would probably think of me as quite nerdy), so I started to research brain science, psychology, and dementia, a lot. I went on to study Psychology at the University of Edinburgh and graduated in 2020 with a Psychology M.A. First Class Honours. My dissertation was titled “The Impact of Posterior Cortical Atrophy on Visual Abilities & Daily Life”. I spent years learning as much as I could about Dad’s type of dementia, and in turn I was able to create unique and helpful tools and techniques to assist Dad!

After university, I went on to work for a rare dementia organisation for a few years until Dad sadly passed away in 2021 and I felt like I could no longer do my job of supporting others affected by rare dementia, or continue my research without breaking down in tears. Everything around me reminded me of Dad.

I changed career entirely and retrained to work on boats where I was lucky enough to see some of the worlds most beautiful places. But after a few years of something new, I felt like I was being pulled back to working in the dementia support space. I had all this lived experience and academic knowledge about rare dementia, and PCA dementia in particular, that it felt wrong not to use those skills to help others.

I realised my dream is to go back to school and get my psychotherapy and counselling degree, specialising in tailored dementia support for families and young carers in particular. Helping them learn to navigate the changes their parent or partner is going through with understanding and empathy. But I don’t want you to have to wait until I have that license to share the knowledge I have.

And that brings us to Seeing Dementia Differently…
Something I created to bring dementia carers, no matter how old or young, together. A place to share experiences, get advice, and feel understood.

A man lying on green grass next to a small child in a plastic kiddie pool, both relaxing on a sunny day.
A collage of various photos surrounding a central text that says "Hi! I'm Cici." The photos include a woman in graduation attire, people on boats, a woman in different outfits at various locations, a woman with glasses, a woman in a white shirt, a woman with curly hair, and a man with a child celebrating a birthday.
A woman with curly blonde hair and blue eyes takes a selfie in a room. She wears a black polka dot dress and layered necklaces. The photo has text that reads 'Personal Story' with purple hearts and 'Dad & The Misdiagnosis' in purple font.
A young woman with curly blonde hair holding a mug with mushroom illustrations, smiling at the camera, with text overlay saying 'Neil's Playlist Part 1' and blue heart icons.

Personal experiences as a young dementia carer

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A woman with curly blonde hair holds a small object in her hand, with the text overlay stating 'Observations on Grief' and 'Grief shows up in the strangest places.'
A woman with short blonde hair, glasses, and earrings takes a selfie in a room with a large abstract painting on the wall behind her, wearing a white T-shirt with a red and yellow Lightning McQueen car graphic and a caption asking about PCA effects.