Robin Thomson

Robin and Shoko Thomson met when he was travelling to India and she was returning to Japan after studying abroad. They were married and lived in India for over twenty years, teaching and training church and community leaders. After they returned to the UK Robin wrote and taught on cross-cultural understanding and leadership development.

In January 2012 Shoko was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease.

“We had no clue what lay ahead. Later, when the disease really began to bite, we learned the hard way. We had been married over forty years, living in twenty-three homes in India, the UK and Japan, bringing up our two children, sharing our life together. Now we went through discouragement and relentless pressure as her personality changed and she lost her capacity in many areas of life. What kept us going were the love and practical help of family and friends, and the remarkable friendship and support of the carers who visited us, backed up by health and social care professionals. Shoko died of heart failure in 2018.

“Everybody’s experience of dementia is different. But there are common themes and I thought our story might be helpful to others facing similar experiences – the same pain and pressures, as well as the hope and resources.”