I am of the female generation that was educated through the 60s and 70s with a very strong push to be ambitious, career minded and independent. That I have been, and have lived a full and varied 'work-orientated' life involving much travel and working with different cultures and communities. Not by choice, but more – just how it happened, my life did not result in marriage or child rearing. I am now in my early sixties but without a partner, children, parents, siblings or indeed close relatives of any kind. Friends are scattered and mostly involved with their own families. I therefore found the establishment of AWOC recognised many of the worrying questions and anxieties facing those of us from all walks of life entering older age in a society which is still very family focussed and that has become so complex and fraught, that every elderly person, let alone those with dementia problems, will require a trustworthy champion to speak up for them and ensure their wishes and rights are respected. With the current disintegration and chaos reigning in social services, NHS and elderly care, it is frightening to think who this will be. (F)