At last, we are set to tackle dementia

The author of the Discworld series of comic fantasy books had let BBC cameras into his home to film a year in the life of a man with dementia – and that programme was broadcast.

It was called Living with Alzheimer’s. It really did get up close and personal, and showed just how slowly and tenaciously the disease takes hold.

At times, the programme was difficult to watch; for me, it brought back sharp memories.

My mother, a vibrant, energetic and extremely direct woman, began to show signs of dementia about ten years ago. The family just didn’t see it coming. We thought mum was simply becoming forgetful; older people do, don’t they?

As her behaviour became more erratic, we tried to get her GP on board. His response? What do you expect? She’s 80. He did not even suggest dementia.

In fact, mum was in a residential care home when the “d” word was finally mentioned and she was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease.

She was prescribed the anti-dementia drug Aricet, but, apart from calming her, it was too late to be effective. Aricet does not cure Alzheimer’s, but it can stall it. The time when it could have helped mum’s quality of life had long gone.

Mum died late last year. Two weeks before her death, I had travelled north to see her. I was so lucky; she recognised me and every day we had real conversations, even though mum’s thoughts could not go beyond the 1980s.

Mum was one of about 700,000 people in the UK with dementia. But it isn’t just the 700,000 who are affected. Families have to watch as those who were husbands, wives, mothers, fathers slowly cease to exist.

The Government should have admitted to dementia years ago. This would have helped get rid of the stigma which still makes health professionals recoil – believe me, I have seen it – and, crucially, there would have been earlier diagnosis and earlier treatment.

Now, it looks as though there has been a breakthrough. The day before the Sir Terry Pratchett documentary, the Government published its first National Dementia Strategy for England.

Health Secretary Alan Johnson said this five-year plan included £150 million to improve the lives of people living with dementia via a network of memory clinics, improved support for people affected by the condition and the launch of major public awareness campaigns.

The Alzheimer’s Society – which is committed to defeating dementia through research – is enthusiastic.

Chief executive Neil Hunt called it “an ambitious national rescue plan to transform the lives of people living with dementia”. It was, he declared, “a momentous opportunity”.

There already are memory clinics – in Essex, Colchester has one, so has Chelmsford, Basildon and Brentwood – and have been for some time.

Gaye Farrar, Alzheimer’s Society’s service manager for Essex, said the main thrust of the strategy was to train GPs to recognise early symptoms of dementia. This would lead to quicker diagnosis and memory clinics being involved at a much earlier stage.

“The Alzheimer’s Society is already providing staff to be part of this service. They will train those who work in GP practices – everyone, not just GPs – to see signs of dementia,” she revealed.

“In Essex, we are working with all the primary care and mental health trusts and Essex County Council to ensure this happens. Already, Paul Digby, manager of the society’s Colchester branch, is advising staff at GP practices in Colchester.”

There are 3,000 people in Colchester and Tendring who have dementia. Some will be like Sir Terry Pratchett; others, like my mother. All have the right to dignity, to early diagnosis – and to every treatment going.

• If worried about memory loss in yourself or a family member or for information on the Alzheimer’s Society, ring 01206 573708.

TYPES OF DEMENTIA

There are more than 100 types of dementia, known as “sundowning” in the United States. The term “dementia” is used to describe the symptoms which occur when the brain is affected by specific diseases and conditions.

Dementia is progressive, which means the symptoms gradually worsen.

Symptoms include:

• Loss of memory – for example, forgetting the way home from the shops
• Mood changes – particularly as parts of the brain which control emotion are affected by disease. People with dementia may also feel sad, frightened or angry about what is happening to them.

• Communication problems – a decline in the ability to talk, read and write.

In the later stages of dementia, the person affected will become increasingly dependent on other people.

• Alzheimer's disease: the most common cause of dementia. During the course of the disease, the chemistry and structure of the brain changes, leading to the death of brain cells
• Vascular disease: the brain relies on a network of vessels to bring it oxygen-bearing blood. If the oxygen supply to the brain fails, brain cells are likely to die and this can cause the symptoms of vascular dementia
• Dementia with Lewy bodies: this form of dementia gets its name from tiny spherical structures which develop inside nerve cells. Their presence in the brain leads to the degeneration of brain tissue. Memory, concentration and language skills are affected. This form of dementia shares some characteristics with Parkinson’s disease
• Fronto-temporal dementia (including Pick’s disease): damage is usually focused in the front part of the brain. At first, personality and behaviour are more affected than memory.