Sian Welby Opens Up About Her Father’s Dementia: ‘The Thought of Him Not Knowing Us is Terrifying’
This Morning presenter Sian Welby has shared her emotional struggle with her father’s battle with Vascular dementia, revealing that she “can’t bear” the thought of his condition worsening. In a candid interview, the 37-year-old reflected on her fears about the future and the heartbreaking toll the illness has taken on her family, via the Express.
Welby’s father, Ian, 84, suffers from Vascular dementia, a common form of dementia caused by reduced blood flow to the brain. As her father’s condition progresses, Sian admitted that she is “almost in denial” about the potential for his memory to deteriorate further, and she is “clinging onto” his current state, where he “just seems forgetful.”
“Some days are worse than others, don’t get me wrong,” she explained. “Some days it’s almost unbearable repetition, but with him, it’s mainly memory rather than behaviour.” However, what Sian finds most distressing is the possibility of her father not recognizing his loved ones. “The thought of him just not knowing who we are, and for my poor mum—she’s terrified that he’ll wake up one day and not [know].”
Sian recalled moments when her father has already become confused about his surroundings and relationships. “He’s had moments where he hasn’t known who [my mum] was and thought she was her mum,” she shared, describing the fear her family faces daily.
In a heart-wrenching moment during the It Can’t Just Be Me podcast, Sian opened up about a difficult conversation she’s had with her sister about the later stages of dementia. “The thought of that stage, if I’m being honest, I would rather he died before that,” she confessed. “It’s a weird feeling that me and my sister have spoken about… You want the most respectful, peaceful way for someone to go.”
Sian described how, during a particularly difficult time when her father was very ill and unable to walk, she found herself wishing for an end to his suffering. “It just seems so cruel that if you can’t cure these things, there’s not even a dignified way to go,” she said, told Manchester Evening News.
She also spoke about the emotional toll of witnessing her father’s decline. “You might watch the person you know and love be torn away from you in plain sight, but their body is still there, so you never get to grieve.”
For now, Sian continues to involve her father in day-to-day activities and conversations, and she has taken steps to help trigger his memory, such as purchasing a clock that displays the current time and year.
Vascular dementia, which affects around 180,000 people in the UK, can start with subtle signs like slowness of thought, difficulty with planning, and memory problems. These symptoms often worsen over time, making the condition an ongoing challenge for families like Sian’s.