Ruth Langsford has had a lot of experience with dementia in the family and has frequently opened up about how the condition has affected them.
The Loose Women star's father, Dennis, passed away with Alzheimer's in 2021, and her mother, who is now living in a care home, has the same condition.
Speaking exclusively to HELLO!, the 65-year-old revealed that one part of her mother's dementia journey was especially difficult to deal with.
"Dementia and Alzheimer's are challenging for so many reasons," began Ruth, who is championing Amazon's collaboration with UK Charity Dementia Carers Count to help unpaid carers get the most out of Alexa-enabled devices.
"It's very upsetting when your loved one is given that diagnosis. For my family, we found that doubly hard as my dad had Alzheimer's, so we knew what was ahead for us and my mum."
Ruth gave an update on her 94-year-old mother's health, stating: "At the moment, mum knows who I am, she always recognises me and is very happy to see me.
"I know that that could change at any time, it did with my dad, and that is heartbreaking."
Ruth Langsford spoke about how her mother has 'changed'
The former This Morning presenter revealed how it feels to see her mother changing with dementia, adding: "It's very difficult when the person you love feels like they're slipping away from you, some of their behaviours change and they can't remember some of the major things that you have done as a family."
She shared a specific anecdote: "My mum doesn't remember her 80th birthday party that my sister and I threw for her as a surprise with all her friends.
"It was such a lovely day, but she can't remember it. I just console myself with the fact that on the day, she was in the moment, loving every minute. So, I suppose it doesn't really matter if she can't remember it now."
Ruth Langsford's campaign for dementia carers
The Loose Women panellist is collaborating with Dementia Carers Count on a campaign to help unpaid carers get the most use out of Amazon's Alexa devices in their caregiving routines.
Ruth opened up about how Alexa has helped her in her journey: "I still look after her needs with shopping, buying her clothes, getting toiletries and booking doctor's appointments, which is where Amazon Alexa has really helped me with my planning, especially with its reminders function.
"It just helps me stay organised and gives me that peace of mind that I'm not forgetting anything. I also use the shopping list function, which is so helpful for when I need to pick up things for mum."
As a part of the initiative, they have put together a free guide for dementia carers on how to best use technology to support them with their day-to-day responsibilities. See the full guide here.