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Arsenal legend Martin Keown has opened up on his 'difficult journey' with dementia after helping his father in caring for his mother.
The Oxford-born former footballer recently took part in a charity walk for the Alzheimer's Society, completing 100 laps of Lord's Cricket Ground - the equivalent of 31 miles.
Keown played over 300 times for Arsenal and was a part of Aaron Ramsey's 'Invincibles' team which went the 2003/04 Premier League season unbeaten.
He was also an England international, winning over 40 caps for his country.
The 60-year-old completed the charity walk with his wife, Nicola, and voiced his concerns about the disease of which his mother has lived with for over 20 years.
The three-time Premier League winner opted to help his father with caring for his mother late in his career, passing on the opportunity to work with Wenger.
Dean Saunders challenges Martin Keown (Image: Newsquest Archive)
Speaking to the Daily Mail, Keown said: "When you’ve got a loved one, you just get drowned in it all.
"It becomes so solemn and you wonder what’s life for, what you’re battling for.
"You see someone work their whole life for their retirement and the minute they get there, they’re just looking out of the window like a mannequin.
"It can demotivate you but we need to make sure that doesn’t happen to other people. That’s where the motivation has to be, doesn’t it?
"All of this walking takes us a step closer to finding a cure.
"We need to create an awareness of what’s happening with dementia and Alzheimer’s," he continued.
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"How poorly it’s funded and how, if you have a loved one in this terrible plight, how you get some help on this journey. Because it's a very difficult journey."
The former England centre back detailed how his father stayed strong during his mother's struggles.
"My dad said it was the biggest fight of his life to keep my mum at home. It really was.
"He learned to cook. He learned to sew. This was a guy that was in management and he just completely retrained himself. It was unbelievable.
"My mum, believe it or not, could still iron.
"She could still remember. She didn’t want that taken away but then she’d leave the iron on and would burn herself.
Martin Keown (Image: Mike Egerton/PA Wire)
"It was becoming dangerous but she could still remember. You hear of people with dementia still being able to play piano."
Keown had previously expressed fears about how his lengthy career in football could affect him in later life.
"The game you love has kind of taken away vital time ahead of me to spend with my loved ones.
"It’s like a paradox, isn’t it? But I made those choices.
"I didn’t know the outcome that playing football would be so problematic. But I don’t regret it."