In Two Minds

In part 2 of the conversation with her friend Ruth Jones, Justine speaks with raw honesty about the heartbreak of slowly losing her mum, the realities of caring and the overwhelming guilt that so often follows. She reflects on the moments she wishes she could relive, the memories she clings to, and the pain of a Christmas Eve goodbye.   Driven by love and necessity, Justine created a respite proje...

The one and only Ruth Jones joins the podcast for the next two weeks as co-host of In Two Minds. As Julie takes a little break, Justine shares with Ruth the story she never thought she could tell — the story of her mum, Annie, and their family’s journey through young-onset dementia.  Justine reflects on who Annie was before the diagnosis: a glamorous, funny, fiercely loving woman — a young mum and...

Dr. Emma Mead is the Chief Scientific Officer at the Oxford Drug Discovery Institute. In this episode, we explore with her the cutting-edge science behind Alzheimer’s and other neurodegenerative diseases. Dr. Mead takes us through the journey from groundbreaking genetic discoveries to the development of potential therapies, explaining how tiny brain cells called microglia could hold the key to pre...

Ty Hapus is a unique South Wales-based respite project for people living with young-onset dementia. Tess Thomas, the manager of Ty Hapus, shares her passion for supporting the dementia community and how the service creates a sense of purpose, connection, and joy for both guests and their carers.   We discuss the importance of tailored activities, routines, and communication strategies, as well as...

When someone you love is living with dementia, the future can feel frightening, confusing, and full of impossible choices. In this episode, Clive Bowman - formerly a leading physician and Medical Director at Bupa -  demystifies what good care really looks like and how families can prepare before crisis forces their hand.  Drawing on decades spent at both the bedside and the boardroom, Clive explai...

We wish you well during this festival period and look forward to being back with you in the New Year. In the meantime, we're revisiting a highlight from our first series with the brilliant Rebecca Evans CBE.    The Grammy award-winning soprano talks about her career and how important supporting the dementia community is to her.     We also explore the power of music to unlock memories and provide...

This week we sit down with Jen, who reflects on her mother’s PCA diagnosis, the sudden loss of her father, and the challenges of caring for young children while holding her world together.  Her honesty resonates profoundly with Justine’s own journey caring for her mum. Together, they talk about the confusion, the fear, and the emotional weight of watching someone you love change. Jen goes on to ex...

In this powerful and hopeful episode of In Two Minds, Professor Caleb Webber explains how vast new datasets and AI-driven pattern-spotting are transforming our understanding of conditions like Parkinson’s and Alzheimer’s. Caleb is the Director of Informatics at the UK Dementia Research Institute and a leading voice in decoding the complexities of neurodegenerative disease. He reveals groundbreakin...

In season one, we heard the story of Gareth and his battle with early-onset dementia as told by his wife Carrie. In this episode, we hear the story from a different perspective - this time from his daughter, Katie.  Katie was in Year 8 in school when she learned about her dad’s condition. In the years that followed, she experienced the overwhelming challenges of being a young carer. Katie courageo...

In a remarkable conversation, clinical neurologist and researcher Dr Tom Massey takes us inside the world of Huntington's Disease (HD) research, sharing the latest breakthroughs that have brought the scientific community closer than ever to a cure. Just weeks after this interview was recorded, news broke that clinical trials Dr Massey mentions - involving complex brain surgery to deliver gene ther...

In this second part of our conversation with Lucy Briers, she talks candidly about the last few months of her Mum, Ann’s life and the coping strategies she used to help her. Lucy talks about how her mum looked ten years younger in her final days and seemed to remember her late husband, Richard, again. She also talks about the glimpses of affection shown by her mum and how important they were to he...

Lucy Briers is part of acting royalty. Her dad Richard was in The Good Life. Her mum Ann Davies was in Doctor Who. Lucy herself is an accomplished actress and starred in the classic 1995 BBC adaptation of Pride and Prejudice. Over the next two episodes, Lucy talks to us about how she and her sister dealt with her mum’s dementia.   When Richard died in 2013, the family mistook the early symptoms of...

Between our main episodes, we're opening up our Memory Box, asking simple, nostalgia-driven questions to our guests and ourselves. These questions prompt memory and can help start a dialogue with someone with dementia.  This time it's the turn of our presenter Justine to pick her favourite book, piece of music and a memory she'll treasure forever.   We'd love to hear your stories and advice for an...

Between our main episodes, we're opening up our Memory Box, asking simple, nostalgia-driven questions to our guests and ourselves. These questions prompt memory and can help start a dialogue with someone with dementia.  This week, it's the turn of Professor Vincent Dion of the UK Dementia Research Institute who talked to us at length in Episode 9.  We'd love to hear your stories and advice for any...

Between our main episodes, we're opening up our Memory Box, asking simple, nostalgia-driven questions to our guests and ourselves. These questions prompt memory and can help start a dialogue with someone with dementia.  This week, it's the turn of Grammy-winning soprano, Rebecca Evans who talked to us at length in Episode 7.  We'd love to hear your stories and your advice for anyone living with de...

Vincent Dion is a professor at Cardiff University’s UK Dementia Research Institute. In this episode, Justine and Julie talk to Professor Dion about the latest advancements in research into Huntington's disease which could provide significant hope for the future.  Professor Dion’s work centres on using technology to target and correct the genetic mutation that causes Huntington’s. While the signs a...

Between our main episodes, we're opening up our Memory Box, asking simple, nostalgia-driven questions to our guests and ourselves. These questions prompt memory and can help start a dialogue with someone with dementia.  This week, it's the turn of Carrie Williams, who told us the story of her husband's early onset dementia earlier in the series  We'd love to hear your stories and your advice for a...

Grammy award-winning soprano Rebecca Evans talks about her career and how important supporting the dementia community is to her.  We also explore the power of music to unlock memories and provide comfort to those living with dementia. Prof Julie explains the neurological basis for why music memory persists even as other cognitive functions decline.  Rebecca talks about witnessing Alzheimer’s for t...

 Between our main episodes, we're opening up our Memory Box, asking simple, nostalgia-driven questions to our guests and ourselves. These questions prompt memory and can help start a dialogue with someone with dementia.  This week, it's the turn of Wales rugby coach Warren Gatland and his wife Trudi.  We'd love to hear your stories and your advice for anyone living with dementia - or if you have a...

Our very own Professor Julie Williams provides insight into the current state of Alzheimer’s research, focusing on the role of genetics and the work being done to tackle the disease. It is projected that the number of people with Alzheimer’s will rise to 1.4 million by 2040 - primarily due to increased life expectancy - so the importance of understanding the disease has never been so crucial. Juli...

 In between our main episodes, we're going to open our Memory Box and ask simple, nostalgia-driven questions to our guests and ourselves. These questions prompt memory and can help start a dialogue with someone who has dementia.  In this first Memory Box episode, Justine quizzes Prof Julie about her favourite childhood book, meal and favourite piece of music.  We'd love to hear your stories and yo...

Carrie Williams talks to us about her 28-year love story with her husband Gareth who was diagnosed with Parkinson's disease and later frontotemporal dementia in his 50s. Carrie and Gareth were both police officers when they met at a convalescent home where they were recovering from injuries. They fell in love, got married and had two children together. In 2013, Carrie started noticing Gareth was s...

In this, the second of a two-part episode with Warren and Trudi Gatland, Trudi talks about the practicalities of her dad, Terry’s Alzheimer’s and vascular dementia diagnosis and the emotional toll it’s having on the family. Terry developed dementia in his 80s and experiences significant short-term memory loss. Trudi openly discusses the emotional challenges of watching her father change and the st...

This is part one of a two-part episode with Wales rugby coach Warren Gatland and his wife Trudi where we explore dementia, mental health, and the importance of family support.  In an interview recorded just after the Autumn Internationals, which saw the Welsh rugby side at one of its lowest ebbs, he talks about the coping strategies needed for dealing with the pressures of elite sport. He reflects...

Whether you’re living with dementia, supporting someone, or simply seeking to understand the disease, this is a podcast series for you. In Two Minds is a podcast that will help you navigate the complexities of dementia. It’s presented by two friends who come at the subject from two very different perspectives.  Professor Julie Williams has spent most of her working life trying to understand Alzhei...