Latest news with #memoryLoss
Telegraph
3 days ago
- Entertainment
- Telegraph
Jonathan Pryce
The actor, who played an agent with Alzheimer's in Slow Horses, also lived through a loved one losing their memory
The Guardian
6 days ago
- Entertainment
- The Guardian
Miss Myrtle's Garden review – immersion into a mindscape of sharp quips and memory slips
In Danny James King's Miss Myrtle's Garden, life and death coexist. Acid-tongued Myrtle spends her days in her overgrown yard with her husband, Melrose, grandson, Rudy, and Rudy's 'close friend' Jason. But around the patch of grass, memories seep into the present through ghosts and flickering flashes, in a jumble of certainty and doubt. That's because, at 82, Myrtle has begun to lose her grip on reality. Taio Lawson's inaugural production as the Bush theatre's incoming artistic director is a full immersion into this disorienting, fragile mindscape. One moment, a scene unfolds as a naturalistic conversation; the next, the auditorium is plunged into pitch darkness, pierced by an eerie, rumbling soundscape. It's a striking way for Lawson to make a creative entrance; but with so much happening onstage, the production tips into becoming overblown and chaotic. At its centre is a tour-de-force performance by Diveen Henry as Miss Myrtle. Her sardonic put-downs ('being difficult is better than being easy') paint her as a pillar of blunt-force resilience. Her sharp quips are crisply drawn, showing King's gift for writing rich comedy. But as the scenes roll forward, it becomes heartbreakingly clear that Myrtle's memory is faltering and she needs help. Rudy faces a complicated future: what to do with Myrtle, and how to extract the information she guards about his dead father before time runs out. But Rudy also is keeping a secret of his own: Jason is actually his partner. Shame about who he is presses heavily on Rudy's shoulders. Their chemistry, wonderfully encapsulated by the gentle, side-glancing performances of Michael Ahomka-Lindsay as Rudy and Elander Moore as Jason, is left to play out in the shadows. When both men move into Myrtle's house, the weight of their unspoken love only deepens. Designer Khadija Raza builds a neat circle of grass, decorated with real flowers and soil for the action to play out on. Here, Rudy battles Myrtle for shards of the past while willing her not to vanish into the depths of dementia. Even as the script meanders, their relationship is charged with unspoken pain, sure to pull at your heartstrings. At Bush theatre until 12 July
Fox News
17-05-2025
- Health
- Fox News
DR MARC SIEGEL: Presidential fitness and what we deserve to know
Everyone knows an elderly relative or friend with a failing memory. It is one of the least pleasant experiences in life, and as dementia progresses, and the person reaches for memories that are no longer there, feelings of frustration and uncertainty increase. Relatives and caretakers worry and may feel helpless, even as the patient themselves denies a problem and may also vary in mental acuity from one day to the next or even from one moment to the next. Gait may be affected depending on the specific diagnosis, and falls become more frequent. Most people would agree that there is a difference in seeing the symptoms of dementia or cognitive slipping occur in someone's relative versus the president of the United States. The concern with the president of course is demonstrating a continuing ability to execute the duties of the office at the highest level. The president's yearly physical has become a yardstick to gauge that ability. This is why Dr. Kevin O'Connor, White House physician during President Joe Biden's term is under scrutiny for his reports that reassured the American public that Biden was in excellent health and fit to serve. In February 2024, he wrote, "An extremely detailed neurologic exam was again reassuring in that there were no findings which would be consistent with any cerebellar or other neurological disorder, such as stroke, multiple sclerosis, Parkinson's or ascending lateral sclerosis, nor were there any signs of cervical myelopathy. This exam did again support a finding of peripheral neuropathy in both feet." But missing from this letter, as from previous letters on President Biden's health, was any mention of an MRI of the brain or or neuro-cognitive testing. Peripheral neuropathy or sensory loss in his extremities would hardly be a cause for concern about fitness. Further, even if there was a discussion about possible use of a wheelchair among White House insiders, as a new book, "Original Sin," by CNN's Jake Tapper and Axios' Alex Thompson suggests, this would also not be a reason to question fitness. FDR famously served from a wheelchair during World War II, even if he tried to hide it so as not to show weakness to the Nazis. Biden's gait or feebleness would only have mattered when he was president if it were tied to a progressive neurodegenerative disorder, which Dr. O'Connor was claiming it wasn't. But was this assessment entirely accurate or comprehensive? We don't know. But what we do know, now that Special Counsel Robert Hur's audiotapes have finally been released, is that Biden was clearly suffering from periods of profound disorientation and memory loss while president involving very important events such as when his son died or when he left office as vice president. Hearing these moments on tape, as opposed to reading them on a transcript, are very sobering and are enough to question his fitness in and of themselves. Yet nothing was done except for apparent obfuscation and coverup. There has been a long history of obscuring presidential health, from Woodrow Wilson to FDR to Eisenhower, even to Ronald Reagan, where there is still some debate about whether he began to show mild signs of cognitive impairment in his second term. But this tawdry history of lack of disclosure doesn't make it right. We still don't know what former President Biden suffers from. He had brain aneurysms and a bleed back in 1988 which were repaired by an open method (craniotomy) which could lead to long term cognitive problems, and he suffers from atrial fibrillation (irregularly irregular heart beat), which recent studies have shown increased risk of cognitive decline. There is a risk of vascular dementia. Whatever the underlying cause of his periods of disorientation and memory lapses we wish him well. But we also wish the country an era of greater disclosure and transparency especially when it involves our highest office.
News.com.au
13-05-2025
- Health
- News.com.au
Wally Lewis opens up on CTE battle and the toll it's taking on his wife
Rugby league legend Wally Lewis has given an update on his battle with CTE and the toll it's taking on his wife. The 65-year-old first spoke publicly about his battle with CTE (Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy), a degenerative brain disease linked to repetitive concussions, in 2023. FOX LEAGUE, available on Kayo Sports, is the only place to watch every game of every round in the 2025 NRL Telstra Premiership, LIVE in 4K with no ad-breaks during play. New to Kayo? Get your first month for just $1. Limited-time offer. Since then, the Queensland and Kangaroos great has campaigned for more awareness and funding for the condition. Speaking on LiSTNR's The Howie Games podcast, Lewis discussed his memory loss and difficulty initially seeking help. 'I'm just having some real issues with my memory,' he began. 'The first issues were probably six or seven years ago, but it took me over two years (to speak to a doctor). 'I didn't want to be seen as the guy who wasn't quite the full quid. 'I spoke to some doctors in Brisbane and went to Sydney and it was a bit embarrassing. 'The doctor basically said 'what are the issues you're dealing with' and I said 'mate, I can't remember things. I really can't remember things'. 'I had a short sleeve shirt on and I had goosebumps … he said 'don't be embarrassed'. 'I could feel my face go red the first time (I asked for help) and I thought 'you idiot, don't be embarrassed to ask for help'.' Just last month, Lewis married his partner of four years Lynda Adams at a private ceremony in Brisbane. He knows there is currently no cure for CTE, which was a difficult reality to face, but says Adams is incredibly patient with him. 'There is no cure. When (my doctor) delivered that sentence to me, it was a slap in the face,' he said. 'But by the same token, I was being a realist in not expecting marvellous things to happen. 'My partner, Lynda, has been fantastic through it. 'She's been very patient, but the amount of times where I've seen this expression on her face … and I know that I've obviously said something (before) or said it wrong. 'And I say to her 'have I already said that' and she'll say 'oh, two, three, four times'. 'I'm past the embarrassment of being repetitive.' Lewis is widely regarded as being among the greatest players in rugby league history. Commencing his career in the late 1970s, the playmaker was part of the inaugural State of Origin match in 1980 and was in the national side the following year. He played 38 matches for his beloved Maroons and a further 34 with the Kangaroos, regularly walking from the pitch with the man of the match award. After retiring in 1992, Lewis went into coaching and eventually television. Named one of the game's Immortals in 1999, Lewis said a number of players have reached out to him since his condition became public. 'A lot of the footy guys have come (to me with symptoms),' he said. 'We all could be a little bit different, but I say 'have you spoken to a doctor yet' and they say 'no'. 'And I'll say, you're seeking answers from me and I can't give you the answers. 'But the best assistance is only going to come from the medical staff. It's been good since (getting help).' Lewis' separation from his wife of 36 years Jackie in early 2021 shocked family, friends and colleagues alike. For almost four decades, the Lewis marriage had been considered the gold standard of sports star unions. But he has found happiness with Adams and was asked whether he fears for his future. 'I do,' he said. 'I am very hopeful and very determined that I am going to enjoy the rest of my life. 'But I don't want to be in a nursing home in the years to come.'
Daily Mail
11-05-2025
- Health
- Daily Mail
When Dad developed a worrying habit at 58, doctors put it down to stress. In fact it was the first sign of an unfathomably cruel disease
George Hardy was known to be an intelligent and articulate man who, as a top pharmaceutical research scientist, had dedicated his life to finding new drugs to beat viruses. So when he began to lose the ability to find the right word for common household objects soon after he took early retirement at the age of 58, his family were rightly concerned. His TV director son Ben, 50, recalls watching George standing in the kitchen holding a knife, unable to remember what it was called.
