Shobna Gulati wants to end the stigma around dementia.
Shobna Gulati
The former 'Coronation Street' actress has written about her mother's battle with vascular dementia, and she has called for people to talk about the disease more openly in a bid to help others realise they're not alone.
In a piece for Alzheimer's Research UK's Dementia Blog, she wrote: "Vascular dementia has definitely made Mum more socially isolated, and more and more of today's older generation is facing this future. It's also isolating for carers, like me and my siblings.
"In our community it's normal for everyone to know everyone else's business, it's a very social affair. But when you're struggling to cover cracks in normal life, it can also create a real social pressure.
"Talking about dementia, and the value of research, is vital. It's such an important way to break down these stigmas."
The 52-year-old soap star - who played Sunita Alahan on the cobbles for five years until 2006, before returning again from 2009 to 2013 - insisted "there is no shame" in dementia, but believes it is vital for people to open up about their experiences so that others can feel safe.
She explained: "If we can talk about dementia and share experiences without judgement or taboo, we can create support systems and help people contribute for longer within society. "We can also help people accept that they might be changing and adapt the world to make their lives easier.
"Dementia is caused by diseases, there is no shame in that. Everyone is human and at some stage in our lives we'll all get ill.
"My hope for the future is that if my family has been brave enough to speak out about dementia, we might help others. And together, we'll break down that stigma and support research into this debilitating disease."
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