Barrie Carless was a games and history teacher in Exeter for 37 years, and was recently invited to West Exe School during Dementia Awareness Week to educate pupils about the disease and health condition. Accompanied by his wife Sara, he gave an informal talk to 17 students during their lunch break, and invited them to ask him any questions they had.
Barrie said: “I had been involved in sport all my life and had a long teaching career, so it was a big shock when I was diagnosed with two forms of dementia. In many ways our lives have changed a lot by this.
“It is not only memory loss which is what many people think, but it’s also about learning new skills. I rely very much on my wife Sara, but we try to live our life positively by keeping busy, seeing friends and doing a lot of walking to keep as fit as possible.”
