‘He is losing his connection to the world’: Caring for someone with dementia during a pandemic

The first time Estelle Clarke, 28, really noticed her dad’s forgetfulness was when he couldn’t remember the word for hedgehog, instead describing it as the spiky animal in the garden. Phillip Clarke, 60, was officially diagnosed with frontotemporal dementia four years ago, although the family suspect he had it for many years prior. He is still able to do physical things for himself like get dressed or make a cup of tea, but wife Tracey, 58, has become his primary carer at their home in Derbyshire, which they share with 33-year-old son Scott.