How two grandmothers with dementia found friendship in a nursing home

A dementia-ridden grandmother instantly struck a friendship with a fellow resident in a care home.

On April 15, 2018, Lillie Downing shared a heart-warming post on Twitter about how her grandmother quickly felt at home in a home for the aged.

'Took my nan to her new care home today that's for people with dementia, she met a lady who had the same name as her and they held hands the whole time they watched TV,' she captioned a photo of her grandmother sitting on a couch next to another elderly woman.

'The lady on the left (Gladys) repeatedly said to my nan "don't worry you've got me now,"' Downing continued.

Although they only met for the first time, the two elderly women seemed to like each other already. Both sitting on the couch cross-legged, they were holding hands as they watch TV.

Downing's post quickly went viral. It has been retweeted more than 15,000 times and garnered more than 124,071 likes.

Other Twitter users shared their experience in the comments.

'We did the same with my nan a few days ago. Seen so many pictures on their FB already and she seems to actually enjoying herself. Hope yours is too,' commented Ollie Carter.

Twitter user Lillyloo wrote: 'Thanks for sharing this. Bitter sweet no doubt. My beloved had dementia. Wicked wicked disease. I'm glad your nan has found a friend.'

People with dementia suffer a severe decline in memory or other thinking skills. Their ability to perform everyday activities is greatly hampered. Alzheimer's disease accounts for a majority of the cases of dementia, according to Alzheimer's Association.

The organization reported that an estimated 5.7 million Americans of all ages have Alzheimer's in 2018. A vast majority of them are 65 years old and older.

Approximately 200,000 individuals under the age of 65 are suffering from younger-onset Alzheimer's.

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