A Bristol mum says she’s witnessed an upsetting decline
Emmeline Saunders and Emma Slee
20:34, 02 Nov 2025
Hayley O’Rourke with her dad Tony Bullock , 76(Image: collect supplied)
Prunella Scales, the beloved Fawlty Towers star who passed away on Monday, was one of nearly a million people in the UK living with dementia – Alzheimer’s disease being the most common cause. Despite its prevalence among the elderly, it is not a normal part of ageing.
Bristol mum-of-two Hayley O’Rourke, 39, who works full-time in HR for the National Grid, has first-hand experience of this, as her father, Tony Bullock, 76, was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s in 2023.
She says: “It’s a juggle being a ‘sandwich carer’. Dad moved in with us 10 years ago, and while he still knows his family, he can get angry and aggressive with us – it’s hard helping the children understand why he’s being that way.
“The change in the last two years has been unbelievable. He was fun-loving, sociable, he played with the kids. Now he doesn’t even say hello – he has no interest in them.
“He was the most amazing dad but we started noticing signs something wasn’t quite right. He hit the neighbour’s wall in his car and just drove off – he used to have integrity. He started behaving strangely in social situations, he couldn’t read social cues. And whenever I challenged him he would just stare through me.
“I was almost relieved when his diagnosis explained what was happening.
Hayley O’Rourke with her dad Tony Bullock , 76(Image: collect supplied)
“I’ve had to give him an AirTag to wear when he goes out because he gets confused. I obtained Power of Attorney for him after 25 boxes of Graze snacks turned up – he didn’t remember ordering them.”
Hayley is orchestrating the Forget Me Not spring charity ball at Aerospace Bristol on Friday, 6 March 2026, with all proceeds going to Alzheimer’s Society. She hopes for a full house.
“The hardest thing is losing a piece of him every day. I’ve had therapy to learn how to differentiate between the Dad in my head and the one in front of me,” she shares.