When Norman Mair turned up on his own doorstep one New Year's Eve, it was the moment that something had to change. His wife, Lewine, was watching TV with her now-adult children and thought that Norman was in bed, having gone up early.
But when the doorbell rang, the last person she expected to see was Norman. Dressed in his favourite sweater, he was out in the cold winter's night without a coat.
"We heard Norman's voice outside and it was an absolute shock to the system," Lewine, a former sportswriter, 77, told the Mirror this Dementia Awareness Week, which ended on Sunday. "The doctor then said you aren't coping and can't be on red alert 24 hours a day - he either needs carers or a care home."
