By Elliott West
“We remember their love when they can no longer remember”.
Anonymous quote
Introduction
Dementia is a progressive condition that gradually gets worse over time. A condition that has early, middle and late stages. It affects your memory, thinking and social abilities. In England alone, it is estimated that 64.5% of people over the age of 65 have the disease but this is a condition that can strike at any time in life. Dementia costs the NHS £17 billion a year to provide care for and it predicted this will rise by another £1.7 billion by 2050. One in two have a loved one or friend have someone going through dementia. A ticking time bomb that could be affected by age, genetics and lifestyle.
Famous cases of this condition include Sean Connery, James Stewart, Robin Williams, Babara Windsor and currently Julie Goodyear and Bruce Willis. In snooker, Frank Callan and currently Terry Griffiths. People who suffer from this tend to become confused and have trouble remembering, especially names. A condition that can be very upsetting for the person and those that are impacted by it. One where the individual can often recall memories from the past but struggle to remember something that has happened recently.
Staring into Space
Dementia robs you of your freedom, uniqueness and the joys of daily life. The eyes that have lost their sparkle, the look of confusion, a person still there but their personality sucked out of them. Still a person but a different version. A partner often has to quickly adapt to the role of carer. A lonely place. a foreign world where you have to quickly learn to cope or you will drown in the pool of dementia. It is not only your loved one living with the condition, you are too. Everyone around you is affected by it. No one knows how traumatic dementia is until you have experienced it. You are losing the person you love while the world carries on at a normal pace around you.
Hope
Filling out forms and chasing care and support can be very frustrating in the early days of dementia. A condition with no known cure and one where you just have to make the best of a bad situation. An insular world where you inch further and further from the front door and the bedroom eventually becomes your prison cell. Many of those whom you counted on fly away like birds. A black-and-white picture that is devoid of colour. A rainy day with no prospect of sunshine.
Yet beyond the darkness there is light. The important thing about living with dementia is to keep talking. Pick up the phone and reach out for help from brilliant organisations like Dementia UK, your GP, the NHS and the numerous care organisations that exist. Speak to a dementia specialist who really knows what you are going through. No family should have to go through dementia alone. Admiral nurses are here to support you and bring a sprinkle of normality back to an unpredictable life experience.
