Latest news with #MemoriesandDementia
BBC News
28-03-2025
- Health
- BBC News
Relatives say living with dementia is 'cruel' and 'heartbreaking'
An increasing number of people in the UK are being diagnosed with to Alzheimer's UK, 982,000 people are estimated to be living with the condition and as many as 700,000 people are caring for a loved this week, people have been sharing their experiences as part of the BBC's Memories and Dementia radio stations in Dorset, Berkshire, Oxford and Hampshire have all being talking about the issue as part of Dementia Awareness Week. Beverly Randerson's husband Brendon was diagnosed with Lewy body dementia (LBT) in 2019."He used to play golf until one day he came home and said: 'I can't play golf anymore.'"She remembers asking him why, and the answer was because he could not add up, despite previously being "very good with figures". 'You don't just lose them once' She said the disease "creeps up on you" and at the beginning they managed to find medication that kept it at bay for a while."There were lots of things, small things to begin with, getting really forgetful then he couldn't drive anymore - he didn't like that," she said she had to do all the driving and "there were many times he tried to get out the car while I was driving"."He was getting worse, he kept running off so I would lock the doors and then he would try escaping through windows." Mrs Randerson said eventually Brendon started to become violent, and he now lives at Aranlaw Care Home in said: "The worst part is you don't just lose them once. It's a horrible disease and it's so cruel to everybody, not just the people with dementia but the whole family."If I could take it away from him, I would but I can't." 'Football was his passion' Goff White from Tadley was one of the first non-league footballers to be diagnosed with chronic traumatic encephalopathy, a brain condition thought to be linked to repeated head wife Tina said: "He was a very strong character. My son always says: 'they don't make many in that mould any more' and he's right."He was a loving, caring husband, father, son and granddad, always willing to help absolutely anyone."Goff, who loved football and played for Basingstoke and Tadley Calleva, died last year aged 70, after living with Alzheimer's. Mrs White said her husband played football for roughly 43 years and he would "practise for hours, heading the ball"."He had plenty of concussions in his early life between the age of 18-21 but football was his passion, his whole life," she noticed the difference in her husband in 2012, because "he became paranoid, he started to get very verbally aggressive and very angry about things".Getting a diagnosis was difficult, Mrs White said, as her husband would not accept that there was anything wrong."I became the enemy. He even asked for a divorce, he just wouldn't accept the illness," she said."For two years I went to different doctors and they said they couldn't do anything unless he came in himself." 'I'm grateful she is still here' Dementia Active is a charity based in Oxfordshire that provides social activity groups for people with and chief executive Andy Gill said: "We want to help keep someone living with dementia at home for longer and out of a care home."We bring them in for a four-hour session. We'll pick them up from home to give the carers, husbands and wives the break, the respite they need, when they are looking after someone with dementia."It can be intense. The disease is 24 hours, seven days a week, it's not something that goes away at night and some people won't sleep when they've got dementia. "You're on guard 24/7 as a carer to give someone four hours respite in a day can make a lot of difference." Molly Gill, who runs and manages the activities, said: "We hear the bad stuff about dementia. You hear loss of memory, forgetting people and losing the ability to do things they've previously loved."In this environment with the group, we get all the fun stuff, the innocence and the joy."Belinda Herring is a team leader at the charity and her mother Anne comes three days a week to the group and has "a great time"."Since I lost my dad, my mum was very lonely on her own and had nothing much to do," she said."Mum's made lots of great friends, she does lots of activities. It's a really nice social thing for her, plus she gets a good meal and has entertainment."She said the disease was "very hard and you lose a piece of them each time, it can be heart-breaking, but I'm grateful she is still here". 'The aim is to achieve some hope' Experts from the University of Southampton have devised a giant floor game of snakes and ladders to teach people about game is a 3m-by-3m board, which includes giant foam is designed to teach people about lifestyle choices that prevent or increase the risk of contracting the 45% of cases of dementia can potentially be prevented by addressing 14 risk factors during your life, the researchers Jessica Teeling, who works in experimental neuroimmunology at the university, said the aim of the games was "to achieve some hope". Risk factors include chronic stress, lack of sleep and not flossing your teeth. Prof Teeling said: "Chronic stress influences your body which makes you more susceptible to infections."A lot happens when you sleep - there is an area in your brain that is particularly active when you're awake and shuts itself off when you sleep."That part of the brain is called locus coeruleus and it's one of the first affected in dementia."When it's not shut off those processes are exaggerated, so not sleeping eight hours or not sleeping regularly could influence the function."She said there was also evidence that gum disease, left untreated, increases the risk of developing dementia by about four to five times. You can follow BBC Oxfordshire on Facebook, X (Twitter), or Instagram.
BBC News
24-03-2025
- Health
- BBC News
Memories and Dementia: Starting the Conversation season launches at the BBC
The BBC is launching a special new season across TV, iPlayer and Radio called Memories and Dementia: Starting the Conversation. The season is being led by Dr Punam to help start conversations between those living with dementia and their friends, families and carers by evoking memories of their past through content from the BBC's archive. Programming and support for the season will come from across the BBC, including specially curated collections and a pop-up channel on BBC iPlayer, special films on Morning Live and The One Show, and features across the BBC's radio network. Additionally, a major plotline on EastEnders has been furthering the conversation about young onset dementia. To find out more about content and activity that forms the Memories and Dementia season visit: For help and guidance throughout the week, the BBC has worked with a number of organisations, including Alzheimer's Society, Dementia UK, UK Dementia Research Institute, Alzheimer Scotland, Sporting Memories, the Open University, Nordoff Robbins, Rare Dementia Support, British Gymnastics and others. Ambassador for the Memories and Dementia: Starting the Conversation season Dr Punam, says: 'Dementia can be a challenging condition to live with. I see patients with dementia in my practice – and know the strain the condition can place on people – as well as on their family and friends. One thing that can really help is reminiscence – using media like TV, pictures, or music, that captures history, or follows a familiar place, or interest, something that evokes memories which can help start a conversation with loved ones and carers. 'That's why I'm delighted to be a part of this season – the BBC has played an important and significant part in all our lives here in the UK, and as a result programmes from its rich archive have worked their ways into our memories like nothing else. By collecting some of these programmes together on iPlayer we may be able to spark reminiscence, helping those people living with dementia to bring joy to the present by exploring memories of the past.' Reminiscence can create connections In the context of dementia, reminiscence is the use of TV, pictures or music to evoke memories for people living with dementia which can help start a conversation with loved ones and carers. By using media that captures life in a decade gone by, or follows a familiar place, experience or interest, reminiscence focuses on the 'personhood' of the person living with dementia. Dara de Burca, Alzheimer's Society's Executive Director of Dementia Support and Partnerships says: 'One in three people born today will develop dementia in their lifetime, and 1.4 million people are expected to be living with dementia by 2040. Dementia is the biggest health and social care issue of our time that affects millions of people in the UK – but it's important for people to know they're not alone and support is available. What's great about the work the BBC is doing for this season is not just that it gets people talking about dementia, but it may trigger a memory in someone living with dementia, and that can provide an opportunity for family, friends and carers to connect with their loved ones, offering a shared activity that can improve people's social interactions.' Dan McGolpin, director of BBC iPlayer and Channels, said 'The research shows how reminiscence through TV, film and music can help connect people living with dementia to their friends, family and loved ones. It's important to remember that everyone is different, there's no one size fits all approach that will work for everyone. We've worked with the BBC Archive team to identify content that will help evoke the age it was made and have collected a wide range of content that covers a vast period of the BBC's rich history of programme-making. We hope that within these collections people will be able to find those programmes that will help start conversations.' On TV and BBC iPlayer BBC iPlayer A pop-up channel and three specially curated collections launch on BBC iPlayer on Monday 24 March, featuring programmes from across the BBC archive. Each collection gathers together programmes from a specific decade: the 60s, the 70s and the 80s – and the programmes included will feature the best in arts, entertainment, culture and news events of the era. Programmes in these collections will include the 1969 special edition of Panorama marking man's first steps on the surface of the moon, Philip Donnellan's 1964 film The Colony, Abba's victory in the grand final of the 1974 Eurovision Song Contest, and Keith Floyd's classic 1987 food series Floyd on France. A pop-up channel called Memories will feature programmes from each collection and will run 24 hours a day as a live stream on BBC iPlayer. While viewing these programmes may not lead to immediate, dramatic responses for those living with dementia, studies show they can have significant value in helping create connections and moments of recognition with their friends and family. EastEnders Dementia has been a major plotline on EastEnders recently, as the character Nigel Bates shared more about his diagnosis and how his dementia is impacting his life, including his decision to return to Walford. EastEnders is working with experts and organisations in the field, including Dementia UK, on a storyline, which explores the issue of young on-set dementia, a diagnosis given to those experiencing dementia symptoms at age 65 and under. Morning Live Special programming will air across the week on Morning Live. Dr Punam will be exploring the impact a young onset dementia diagnosis can have on people who can often be still working, paying off their mortgage and parenting children, as well as finding out about the free resources available to help people care for those affected by dementia. Sheree Murphy will meet remarkable people living with dementia performing in a one-of-a-kind variety show in Darlington, Abbie Dewhurst will board the Forget-Me-Not Train from Whitby to Middlesbrough, and Martell Maxwell will look at some of the exciting technological advances that are helping people with dementia and their caregivers retain their independence. And in a special film BBC 5 Live's Eleanor Oldroyd will talk through some of the key sporting moments in history and share her experience of how great sports events can spark a connection, ease isolation, and bring comfort as part of her work with the charity Sporting Memories. She'll be joined by Dr Xand who'll explain how music, food, and even familiar places can stir emotions, unlock recognition, and strengthen neural pathways, showing just how deeply memories shape our well-being. The One Show In a special film for the One Show, actor Kola Bokinni, whose parents met when his mother was a pub landlady, shares the story of his father's dementia. He visits a care home in Bristol that aims to improve residents wellbeing by growing hops to produce their own beer, while connecting over stories of time spent in their favourite pubs, and the sensory experience of growing and handling hops. On radio and BBC Sounds BBC Sounds On BBC Sounds listeners can head to BBC Sounds Homepage, scroll to the bottom of the page to find Collections – and there they'll find the curated Memories and Dementia collection, which contains lots of practical information, support, and first-hand stories of those living with dementia and their carers. On the Podcasts page a Back To Back Sounds playlist called Reminiscence provides a touchstone for audiences to prompt memories and discussion on key events from the 40s to the 90s, including the Jubilee, school day recollections and walks through UK countryside. And in music a separate Back To Back Sounds playlist called Music to Reminisce features a range of music from across the decades, as well as relaxing sounds. Radio On radio there's support for the Memories and Dementia: Starting the Conversation season across the week from BBC Radio 2, BBC Radio 5 Live, BBC Radio Wales, BBC Radio Scotland, BBC Radio Ulster, and the BBC's local radio stations across the country. Content across the week will look at those living with dementia and their carers, including meeting those affected, personal stories from on air broadcasters, on air discussions with medical professionals, music, and local charity groups and other organisations. On local stations, listeners can tune in each morning from Monday 24th March – Friday 28th March between 10 and 12 to find out more about how their favourite station is getting involved. Help and guidance For help and guidance throughout the week, the BBC has worked with a number of organisations, including Alzheimer's Society, Dementia UK, UK Dementia Research Institute, Alzheimer Scotland, Sporting Memories, Rare Dementia Support, Nordoff Robbins, British Gymnastics and others. RB
