If ever there was an acceptable night for a student to stay in and watch trashy TV, it has to be Tuesday. So imagine my surprise when last Tuesday the BBC showed one of the most moving documentaries I have ever seen, which left my macho flatmate and I bawling.
One Life: Mum and Me was all about a daughter and granddaughter’s relationship with a woman who has Alzheimer’s. It particularly struck home for me as my own grandmother is in a similar situation, and sadly the reality seems to be that, like cancer, it creeps into everybody’s lives at some point or another.
Ethel, the patient, says “I’ve got nothing to be sad about here, have I.” The darkly humorous response given by her daughter Sue came as a bit of a surprise: “Well you’ve got Alzheimer’s, your husband’s dead, you’re living in a nursing home. It’s pretty f**king sad if you ask me.”
The frail old woman’s humour and playful relationship with Sue and granddaughter Holly made them seem more like three teenage girls than three generations battling a cruel illness. This made me think.
What support is available to our generation as grandchildren, such as Holly who is currently studying at Glasgow, in the face of such a terrible disease that is estimated to become an epidemic by the time we’re pensioners?
Most students live away from home, and only occasionally get the chance to visit grandparents. The disease makes this especially difficult as visits are few and far between so the deterioration is glaringly obvious each time I visit my grandmother.
Whereas it’s sometimes a relief to be in the bubble of university life, away from the daily pains of living with an ill relative, I often feel very helpless. Seeing a parent mothering his or her own parent is a difficult thing to see, and I sometimes feel guilty for not being closer to help.
Dementia affects over 750,000 people in the UK every year, with over a 100 different types. These include Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s, and Huntington’s disease. The condition usually develops over a number of years and has several symptoms.
Loss of memory, loss of understanding and learning capacity reflect the disease’s effect on the brain. Physical symptoms include difficulty with daily living activities, such as personal hygiene and dressing. The disease also brings with it emotional problems such as loss of emotional control and aggressiveness.
Witnessing the complete change of character in a sufferer is heart breaking to say the very least, especially for a partner looking after their loved one. The body is still there, but the disease in effect performs a saddening personality transformation.
As people live increasingly longer, it is estimated that by 2025, this figure will have increased to 1,000,000. Inevitably, by the time we’re pensioners, countless of our friends will be suffering from the derogatory and vicious disease.
Shockingly, 17,000 sufferers are under 65. It seems that Alzheimer’s is classified as an ‘old person’s disease’, and whereas this is largely true, resources don’t appear to be as half as good for younger sufferers.
Only a few clinics exist in the UK that treat sufferers under 65, some of which treat patients in their twenties. Yet, BUPA’s dementia expert Dr Graham Stokes says: “We are treating more and more younger people with different forms of dementia.”
Younger sufferers of the disease inevitably have younger carers. This inevitably becomes time-consuming, emotionally-draining and unrewarding, especially when your mother or father doesn’t even recognise you, let alone the work you’re doing.
It is a difficult disease to care for, as doing too much for a sufferer frustrates them. A large proportion of dementia sufferers also suffer from depression, so carers have to cater for two diseases that spur each other on.
Help for young carers is, however, widely available with numerous charities, such as The Princess Trust, funding and aiding support projects. This infrastructure of aid is crucial if the disease is to be cared for appropriately, especially considering the increasing numbers of young carers.
Considering the bleak outlook for our generation, it is reassuring that research projects at Cardiff University are striving to find a cure for dementia. Currently, the School of Biosciences is researching into the possible benefits of oily fish for those with Alzheimer’s disease.
The project led by Professor John Harwood, Head of the School of Biosciences which is funded by the Alzheimer’s Research Trust received a contribution of £150,000 from The Freemasons’ Grand Charity towards their work.
Professor Harwood’s team are studying whether omega-3 fatty acids, found in oily fish, can have a beneficial effect. The results could lead to new ways to tackle Alzheimer’s, which currently affects over half a million people in the UK.
No research will help Ethel or my grandmother, but seeing something being done here at Cardiff to prevent the disease from blighting our generation is both commendable and reassuring.
