Rob Rinder thanks Jewish Care in heartfelt tribute to his father

“I never once doubted his pride in me,” added Rinder. “When I came out, he responded with magnificent indifference: I was still his son, there was nothing else to discuss.”

Rinder has previously spoken candidly about his father’s condition and, in tandem, about the excellent care provided by Jewish Care since the diagnosis.

His post continued: “In the last years of his life, Jewish Care became his home, a place where dignity and tenderness were practised every day. Walid and Tosin, among so many others there, cared for him and came to kiss him goodbye.

“A Jewish man, held in his final days by people of different faiths: a quiet reminder that what is sacred in us is also what we share. He died with his family around him, loved and held to the last.”

Daniel Carmel-Brown, CEO of Jewish Care, said: “Rob’s words are a wonderful tribute to his dad and a powerful reminder of the impact dementia has on individuals and families. It was a privilege for us to care for David and to support his family.”

Back in June, Rinder spoke at Jewish Care’s annual dinner of the support the organisation had given him and the reassurance that his father was in good hands.

He said that after first contacting Jewish Care, his overwhelming emotion was “relief – not because everything had suddenly become simple – it absolutely hadn't – but because for the first time in a long time, I felt we were no longer carrying this by ourselves.

“They’re giving something back to my family that we desperately needed: not perfect peace, but the peace that comes from knowing that tonight my dad is safe, and that even when we can't be there, someone who cares for him completely is.”

Rob Rinder (Photo: Getty)Getty Images

Elsewhere in his Instagram post, Rinder implored his followers to learn about Lewy body dementia, a condition affecting around 125,000 people in the UK, and its symptoms, which include vivid hallucinations, severe balance issues, and frequent fluctuations in alertness and thinking ability.

He said: “Lewy body dementia took him far too young. It made the familiar strange and the certain uncertain. Dementia can obscure a person but it does not erase them.”

During an interview in 2024 with the Lewy Body Society, Rinder said that there is a “lack of research” into the disease, which he clarified was “nobody’s fault”.

“The lack of clarity of the prognosis as to what's going to happen and when […] is the most darkly frustrating and difficult issue of all,” he said.

“There isn't the type of funding required to give individuals and loved ones the very real and demanding assistance that's required for a disease like this, especially where it changes very quickly and the level of care might simply, frankly, alter overnight.”

He also described the journey towards a diagnosis, as symptoms appear over time.

“It doesn't happen in one moment,” he said. “It's a series of subtle changes to begin with that then become more evident and obvious, and that's very difficult for families and loved ones around them because you start thinking: ‘Is there something strange going on?’

“We met this doctor who carried out a series of tests and it was quite extraordinary because, at first, [my dad] seemed to answer all of the questions very clearly. Gradually, the questions became seemingly more challenging and, again, he was able to answer them fairly straightforwardly.”

“And then, in the most curious way, affecting way, moving way actually, she drew a picture [of a] very straightforward shape and asked him to draw the same thing. He couldn't.”

Good Morning Britain presenter Susanna Reid, comedian Alan Carr, and Waterloo Road actress Denise Welch were among those who sent messages of support to Rinder this week.