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What exactly happens, as Desiree explains, is that as the day progresses, it upsets the patient’s internal body clock, causing biological mix-up between day and night. Today, most of 4get-me-not’s events are scheduled in the morning between 10 am and 12 pm, because “sundowning or late day confusion and restlessness becomes an issue with Alzheimer’s patients”. “Being part of this global federation enabled members like us to work with other international groups, such as WHO and Dementia Friends (UK).” Fortunately, 4get-me-not got the accreditation in a year,” says Desiree. A prerequisite of this was for me to pass the ADI’s two-year programme ‘Alzheimer’s University’ in London, UK.

We sought international accreditation/membership through ADI. As our audience reach is continuously increasing in the UAE, access to latest news, researches and best practices on AD and dementia was imperative. “4getmenot, as a platform on Alzheimer’s-related information, has to be on top of the game. And that led to the formation of 4get-me-not, a social enterprise that would collate and disseminate information on Alzheimer’s, while engaging its patients constructively in various creative pursuits, one that has been recognised by Alzheimer’s Disease International (ADI)as well as World Health Organization. I was desperate for answers to such an extent that I obtained a special pass to visit a medical library,” recalls Desiree.Įven with this wealth of information, Desiree discovered it was difficult to comprehend the why of it. I also befriended medical students who would eventually become initial volunteers for 4get-me-not. I connected with geriatricians, psychologists, psychiatrists and neurologists in Dubai and other emirates. I became a voracious reader on dementia, Alzheimer’s and other age-related illnesses. “I had no idea about Alzheimer’s Disease, and this started my obsession to know more about the condition. Her father had Alzheimer’s and “caring for him from a distance was tough”. 4get-me-not was with this family’s journey till the end when their mom passed away in April 2022.”Ī Filipina living in Dubai, Desiree started 4get-me-not for reasons that were personal. Our senior group cherished each and every moment with their mom to a point she could not walk and remember our names. “We began inviting the family over with the matriarch for our events. “Learning from my Dad’s experience, I first suggested they seek proper diagnosis first.” The family heeded to Desiree’s suggestion and discovered that the matriarch was indeed afflicted by Alzheimer’s Disease. An Internet search alerted them to 4get-me-not as the only Dubai-based platform that would help them access information on Alzheimer’s.

Even if they suspected that it was an onset of Alzheimer’s Disease, they weren’t completely sure.

Her memory had been declining as well, but the family attributed that to her grief and age. The patriarch of the family had passed away two years ago and the matriarch, who was 67 years old at the time, was going through depression. In 2013, a family reached out to Dubai resident Desiree Vlekken.