David Cameron reveals heartbreaking plea from dementia-hit mother: ‘Will you kill me?’

David Cameron has described the effects of Alzheimer’s on his family as he calls for new dementia drugs to be made available on the NHS. He said his mother, Mary, became increasingly withdrawn and depressed after her diagnosis, and that her experience showed the distress the disease can cause.

Cameron said that, as her condition worsened, Mary repeatedly asked his sister Clare to kill her, at times almost every fortnight. Mary died aged 90 in February 2025, with her family present. Cameron, who is president of Alzheimer’s Research UK, says access to emerging dementia treatments should be expanded.