Alzheimer’s is the most common cause of dementia, a general term for the loss of memory  and cognitive abilities to a level that impedes daily life. Alzheimer’s accounts for 60-80% of all dementia cases. Alzheimer’s is a progressive disease that simply put causes a build up of proteins in the brain, these proteins cause nerve cells to die which leads to loss of brain tissue. The early symptoms tend to be mild and include forgetfulness and a degree of confusion. As the condition progresses cognative abilities decline and significantly impair a person’s ability to function. There is currently no cure, however advancements in medication has led to treatments that can delay its progression.
 At Timken Grange we provide care for people suffering from Alzheimer’s. We undertake training that enables us to assist both residents and their families to deal with the disease. We take time to get to know each resident, we delve into their life history and arm ourselves with the information required to enable us to make decisions based on their personalities and previous life choices. We actively encourage cognitive function through the use of reminiscience and creativity. 
At Timken we not only seek to support the symptoms of Alzheimer’s but also the research and development of treatments. We actively fund raise and this week our lifestyle team member Michelle surpassed all of our previous fund raising efforts by raising a staggering £1000 for the Alzheimers Society. 
Back in February a generic email popped into my inbox, asking people to “Take the Jump” to raise money for Alzhiemers Society. This involved a sponsered skydive from an aeroplane at 10,000 feet. Knowing that Michelle would never pass up the chance to do something to help the cause I showed it to her and Michelle jumped at the chance, no pun intended.
Since signing up Michelle and myself have worked hard to secure sponsership. We badgered everyone and anyone, and they were happy to chip in. On top of the sponsorship monies we also received a generous donation from Halcyon CEO Mike Whitehead and this donation enabled Michelle to reach her target of £1000. 
The jump took place at Sibson airfield near Peterborough, thankfully the weather was in our favour and Michelle was given the go ahead to board the plane. Originally Michelle was told that she would  jump from 10,000 feet but was however informed mid-flight, that she would actually be jumping from 13,000 feet. Regardless of the height Michelle faced her fears and completed the tandem jump. Residents and team members alike have supported and praised Michelle for her charitable efforts and we are all beyond proud of her. The flight and jump were professionally recorded and the lifestyle team are looking forward to sharing this video with the residents very soon.