Sure enough, cuff tight about my arm, my heart pounding, the machine beeping, it gives a reading higher than it should be: 140/90, diagnosed as hypertensive Stage 2.

“I promise you, it’s not normally that high!” I bleat.

How does a memory take root safely so that it sustains, deep and permanent within the structures of the brain? An archive of our past neatly filed away for reference later. A map: the who and why and where of every part of us.

A word that speaks to a robber of language so that my mother must say, “I went to get that thing with words in it”. She means a book; a book she mostly cannot read and certainly cannot understand. A word that would describe the manipulator of moods and minds so that my gracious mother turns on me in uncharacteristic fury or treats me with the disinterest of a stranger.

Is this because we live longer – and in our dotage is a window of sinister opportunity flung open to create a crack for this disease to slink through? Is it hormone related? Is it because our neuro-protective oestrogen dries up at menopause so our brains begin to dry up too? Or is it because our testosterone levels are far lower than men’s?

New research shows dementia can be detected via brain imaging 9 years before symptoms start, which gives time to form good habits and hinder its progress

Despite there being no cure, getting a scan and building your brain’s resilience through mental challenges, being social and living healthily will help …

How caring for a parent with dementia taught me about symptoms, prevention and why seeking out the latest research is so important

To many, the word “hobby” signifies something lightweight or trivial. Yet taking on a new hobby as one ages might provide an important defense against dementia, some experts say.

Would today have been better, had I been a better daughter? Dementia Diary: Don’t argue with dementia, a geriatrician told me. They might not remember your name but they’ll remember how you make them feel

It is early last summer. Ireland is anticipating liberation from lockdown. I am researching Airbnbs. I have bossily corralled my siblings into a holiday. Us and Mum, I say.

It is important, I urge, “before she forgets us forever”.

The day my mother forgot who I was, I was so shocked I laughed; I thought she was joking.

“I Felt As If I’d Moved To The Moon”: What 7 Years Of Isolation Taught One Woman About Being Alone

Anthea Rowan’s memories of cooking are intertwined with those of her mother – and of her mother’s depression.

“The Outbreak Of Coronavirus Seemed A Nightmarish Recreation Of The Inside Of My Brain”

At 79, My Mother Has Been Stripped Of The Power To Read – And The Loss Is Devastating

Six of Zanzibar's best islands: Luxury retreats and underwater adventures

It can be incredibly debilitating, painful and stressful - and also misunderstood. Anthea Rowan explores what causes chronic pain…

World Mental Health Day 2020: How therapists with their own psychiatric disorders see things from both sides of the table

White beaches, stunning sealife and a private island — Anthea Rowan explores an amazing African archipelago

I would not choose this life of far-flung domestic servitude. But I did choose to marry him. I do, I said.