Marita's husband was in his 45s when the first signs of dementia appeared. At the time, the children were of school age, and Marita had started working at a dementia home in Kungsör.
"I saw the same behaviour in my husband as in the elderly at the home," she says.
The struggle for her husband to get a diagnosis and give the family help was tough for Marita, who became exhausted. Now she is back at work and her husband participates in the municipality's day activities. Recently, Marita has received important support from the Dementia Association's younger network.
Big difference in family support
SVT review shows that Kungsör is the municipality in Västmanland that invests the least in support for relatives of people with dementia. All other municipalities in the county have full-time family supporters with a focus on dementia, and in larger municipalities such as Västerås, the support is well developed. In Kungsör, two people work part-time with family support for people with dementia, in addition to employment in home care.
But according to Kungsör's politicians, this will now change.
"In early 2023, efforts will be scaled up. We see a great increased need, which is also a reason that we prioritize this, "writes Linda Söder Jonsson (S), chairman of the social committee in Kungsör, in an email to SVT.
In the clip, Marita talks about the support she and the children needed and their tough experience of being young relatives.