General Chat

Big ((((((((((((((((((((hugs)))))))))))))))))))) for Maisie & all the others on here that I know are having to witness their loved ones going through this awful illness, it's a shame it isn't treated as such. Joan xxxxxxx

i've walked away from this thread,so many times, as like most contributers, i have watched a loved one suffer from alzheimer's. what i found so hurtful, was the loss of dignity, and i'me sure you know what i mean. johnny briggs, the ultimate professional, that he is, has obviously studied the desease, and his portrayal of the illness is both compassionate, and accurate. that's why we are all in tears. there are several countries, researching hard, to find a way of slowing down the dementia process, we can only pray that a breakthrough comes soon. bryan.

I watched it last night and tonight, too upsetting and wont watch it again whilst this story line is on (just too painful to watch). Thank god my Gran isnt a Corrie fan, it would break her heart as well. Donna

You're right, Bryan. The loss of dignity is upsetting to say the least. My father is suffering from dementia. He was a sharp, intelligent man who read extensively and solved the hardest crosswords. Now he solves a couple of clues and Mum does the rest by looking up the dictionary. He then rings me to tell me how well he has done. It breaks my heart. He also has cancer and when he is hospital he cries to come home, or goes looking for us. It is like dealing with a child. When one of us takes them shopping Dad must have someone with him as he will wander off and get lost. The more this is highlighted on popular shows and movies the more donations will be made to research and, what's more important, the more understanding we will have about this dreadfull illness. Susan

My father died from leukemia way back in 1977. He was 47 and I was 18. It was a sudden thing. He had died within a month of first becoming ill and I remember a conversation I had with my mum outside the hospital. It was the Royal Marsden hospital in Surrey. and was in pleasant surroundings so we sat outside a while and my world had been turned upside down. There were alot of people being pushed about in wheelchairs and as we did not know just how seriously ill my father was I asked my mum if dad would have to come home in one of those and she said It would be better in one of those than not at all Always sticks in my mind as he never came home. But after hearing about these long drawn out illnesses maybe it was a blessing that he did not suffer for very long.

The more that can be done to raise awareness can only be good, far too many people think this only affects the elderly. Early onset Dementia is far more common than you would think. I recently attended a forum and of the 9 people with the condition there, 4 were only 50 and had been diagnosed for some time. My husband falls within this group as we now realise he has been showing symptoms for 8 years. Linda x

My Mum of 86 went to visit the doctor yesterday, she is terrified of getting Alzeimers, and thinks because her memory isn't as good, that she may have it, but I told the doctor I didn't think this was so. The doctor gave her a very simple test, she scored 28 out of 30 which was excellent. The doctor forgave her not knowing the date as she isn't working, and I couldn't have told her the exact date either!! Doc told her 3 words to remember, and she could remember 2 of them, when summing up the doctor forgot which word mum forgot, and said it was something else!! so mum did really well. The doctor said they would test her every 6 months.