'What my partner said to me one minute before she died at Christmas will stay with me forever'

manchestereveningnews.co.uk:

When Colin Tutty's partner Anne was diagnosed with vascular dementia, he was the only person who could remind her who she was.

The 74-year-old, from Salford, decided to give up work and become her full-time carer one year before her tragic passing. By talking to Anne and recalling happier times, Colin was able to 'bring her out of herself', allowing her to foster moments of clarity, connection and joy.

Sadly, Anne's battle with the disease came to an end in December 2018 - but something she said to Colin just one minute before her death provided him with comfort. “Anne had vascular dementia and one year before her death I made the decision to give up work and become her full-time carer," he said. "As the condition took hold, I was the only one who could bring her out of herself from time to time by talking to her and recalling old times. "About a minute before she died in December 2018, I asked her if she knew who I was, and she made a noise which I had heard before and knew was a resounding ‘yes’.

That was an early Christmas present for me, I was delighted with that." Colin says the days and months that followed felt hazy. “Christmas was a blur that year," he added. "It felt like I was having an out of body experience.