Jack Shows us the way

Jack Fowler and his loving wife Margaret came in to help us out today.

Jack is 76, and has dementia. Margaret used to volunteer in our kitchens for a good few years.
Smartly dressed Jack said: “I have got Alzheimer’s but at the moment it’svery slight. I can do things but as time goes on, it’s going to get worse.”
Jack wants to help people in a similar situation to himself. And the hospice, mindful of the fact that more and more of our day and in patients may have dementia, wants to make our building as easy for them to get around as possible. He said he can panic a little in corridors.
This morning he toured the hospice with Margaret and our Dementia Admiral Nurse Sharron Tolman, pointing out things that confused him about walking about here.
We are now likely to put pictures of toilets on toilet doors, arrows showing the way… We’ll keep you posted about how it develops over the next few months.
Jack, who used to run the Belle Vue guest house in Gilesgate with Margaret and before that worked at Phillips as a supervisor, says his medication is serving him well, but he keeps his brain active with suduko and crosswords.
Sharron made notes of his impressions during the couple’s tour. She said: “We’re very grateful to Jack and Margaret. They are a lovely couple. It is so kind of them to help us.”
Pictured: Jack with Margaret on their tour with Sharron.