A Strathearn woman who lost her husband to dementia has warned of the importance of spotting the early signs of the disease.
Sally Halliday lost her husband Jack in 2018 following a battle with dementia and has described his final years as the disease started to take hold of him and the lengths she used to go to protect him.
Speaking to Belfast Live, she urged others to be aware of the signs and symptoms of dementia and Alzheirmers disease, saying that if people are able to get a diagnosis and treatment early, they can have a longer time living a full life with their families.
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Jack started showing symptoms of dementia a number of years before he received a full diagnosis, which took two years to be completed.
Sally says that it had always been something her husband had been worried about and she spent a number of years trying to conceal him from it.
She said: "Jack was in his mid to late 50s when we started to notice the signs and symptoms of dementia and it progressed very slowly, starting with forgetfulness which we put down to stress.
"He was a very intelligent man and an engineer and we started to realise something was wrong when he found himself having to get younger colleagues in work to look over what he was doing because he had started to not trust himself.
"Jack had told me his thoughts on dementia before and while we realised what was happening, I didn't want him to be aware and found that for a few years I was trying to shield him from it and would ask family and friends not to point out times where he would be forgetful.
"We eventually had some tests and were shocked at how badly he did and we couldn't understand how the answers were wrong. It was then another two years before getting the diagnosis."
Sally said that she would become frustrated and angry at times when she felt that people were not understanding of Jack and his condition and believes there should be more education on dementia and how to interact with someone who has it.
She said: "Despite his condition Jack and I lived life as normal and were able to do everything we normally would.
"While most people were very understanding of what he was going through, there were times where I would feel very angry when people wouldn't give him a bit of extra time or treated him poorly because he had got a little bit confused.
"I remember him telling me once that he was feeling quite down because he had noticed people looking at him a bit differently in a shop, which really got to me and showed that much more needs to be done to help people understand dementia and how to work with someone who has it."
Sally believes there needs to be more investment into dementia services and its treatment, saying that it is a disease that will continue to be prominent in society and early treatment is key to ensuring people are able to live normal lives.
She continued: "We were lucky in that we had a lot of back up to help us through everything. Our family and friends were very supportive and our GP was brilliant and only ever a phone call away if we ever had any worries and concerns.
"In the last six months his condition deteriorated very quickly, it was very hard to see, and I am just glad that we did not have to suffer through it during the pandemic and we were always able to be with him.
"Now I think it is important to try and raise as much awareness as possible regarding Alzheirmers and dementia in order to help others. There needs to be clear health strategies in place to support and treat the condition with an emphasis on early diagnosis, because it is vital to make sure people are able to still live full and happy lives."
There are an estimated 22,000 living with dementia in Northern Ireland but it’s feared across the UK tens of thousands of people are living with undiagnosed dementia.
Pauline Murphy, a Dementia Support Worker for Alzheimer’s Society in the Southern Trust area, said: “Every three minutes in the UK someone develops dementia, but right now diagnosis rates are at a five-year low due to the pandemic.
“We know some people can be put off seeking a diagnosis for a number of reasons such as thinking memory loss is a normal part of ageing, they don’t recognise the signs, or are just too afraid.
“My role as a Dementia Support Worker is to help people through the process of diagnosis by providing guidance on what to expect and what support Alzheimer’s Society can offer throughout.
“We’re here to help people understand and come to terms with their diagnosis. We provide a confidential listening ear, tailored information and emotional support so people with dementia can continue to live fulfilled lives."
This Dementia Action Week (16-22 May), Alzheimer’s Society is encouraging anyone concerned that they or someone close to them may be experiencing signs of dementia, to reach out to the charity for support.
The charity says asking the same question over again; it’s not called getting old, it’s called getting ill and it could be a sign of dementia. The sooner people can get a dementia diagnosis, the sooner they can plan for the future and unlock the door to treatment, care and support.
Here’s 10 other signs of possible dementia:
1) Forgetting things more frequently
For someone with dementia, problems with memory and thinking get worse quicker than they would normally do with age, with noticeable decline over a period of months as opposed to years.
For a doctor to diagnose someone with dementia, their symptoms must have become more frequent and have a significant impact on daily life.
2) Losing track of date and time
If you find yourself getting lost in a familiar place or being unable to find your way home, this can also be a red flag and you should mention it to your GP. Some people also experience "timeshifts" – for example, a person may think they’re still living in a previous home – particularly if it’s one where they felt most "at home".
3) Not finding the right words
It is common as we age that on occasions, we may struggle to find the right words but remember them eventually. With possible signs of dementia, there are frequent problems finding the right word or regularly referring to objects as "that thing". For a person with dementia, issues with language can vary from day-to-day or be more or less of a problem at different times of the day.
If a person with dementia is living in a care setting or staying in hospital, any communication problems they have can affect the care and support they receive. Alzheimer’s Society produces a simple form called ‘This is me’ to help record personal information about a person so their care can be tailored to their needs.
4) Becoming withdrawn and less social
The symptoms of dementia can cause a person to become more withdrawn from work, friends or family. Dementia makes interacting socially with other people much more difficult and tiring, and it can also hit a person’s confidence hard. Conversations may be harder to follow, especially in noisy environments, so, it can be tempting for a person with dementia to want to stay at home.
5) Finding it hard to complete familiar tasks
For someone with dementia, familiar tasks they’ve done all their lives may start to get difficult to do. They may also lose the ability to carry out tasks in the proper order, like trying to cook pasta before putting the water in.
6) Putting things in unusual places
We all misplace our belongings around the home now and again – and then find them before too long. People with dementia do this more but they sometimes also put objects in unusual places too, for example putting your house keys in the fridge.
7) Difficulty understanding what you see
It’s totally normal for your eyesight not to be as sharp as it was when you were younger.
However, if you’re still having issues reading text, even with glasses on, it might be worth telling you GP. Some people with dementia have difficulty judging distances or seeing edges clearly, causing trips or falls. Dementia sometimes causes hallucinations or seeing, hearing or smelling things that aren't there. This is most common in people living with dementia with Lewy bodies, a less common type of dementia.
8) Trouble making informed and careful decisions
Life is full of distractions and can get overwhelming, we’ve all had moments when we’ve made a poor decision. However, if a person finds that they’re making a lot of poor decisions – either because they can’t process information like they used to or because their personality seems to have changed a lot over just a few months – it could be a sign that they need to see their doctor.
9) Regularly getting distracted and losing focus
There may be times during a conversation where you get distracted or start zoning out – while it might leave you a bit red-faced, it’s not necessarily a sign that anything’s wrong. However, if you keep forgetting the names of common objects, forgetting words or quickly losing the thread of what someone is saying, it could be a sign of dementia.
10) Changes in mood and behaviour
Nobody is expected to feel positive all the time but if you, or someone you know, is starting to become easily irritable, losing interest in things, or has extreme highs and lows this may be a sign of dementia.
Support and more information about a diagnosis is just a phone call or a click away. Visit alzheimers.org.uk/memoryloss or call Alzheimer’s Society’s Northern Ireland support line on 028 90 66 41 00 .
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