February 21st 2023.
Last week, the family of Bruce Willis shared that the actor has been diagnosed with frontotemporal dementia. The news has been met with an outpouring of support for the family, along with similar stories being shared of hurt and frustration at a disease that affects millions. Dementia is the name for a range of conditions that cause damage to the brain. This damage can affect memory, thinking, language and the ability to carry out everyday tasks. Early signs can be hard to detect, with indicators including memory loss, changes in behaviour and difficulties with language. Depending on the case, dementia can progress quickly or more gradually, and no one can accurately predict how the condition will develop. However, what is known is the impact this disease can have, not only for the person diagnosed, but for their loved ones too. For Kayleigh Ogleby, watching her mum, Pam, experience dementia has been heartbreaking. She first noticed something wasn't right during lockdown in 2020.
"Mum was 70 when the first signs appeared," Kayleigh tells The Agency. "Just silly little things at first, like forgetting the names of objects and calling her beloved cat, a dog. Her text messages also became a bit odd, with common words spelt strangely." Worried about her parent, Kayleigh raised the issue directly.
Kayleigh's mother Pam
"It was met with an extremely hostile response from Mum," Kayleigh explains. "She told me she was fine and to mind my own business. However, I knew there was something seriously wrong by this point and called the doctor myself." After listening to Kayleigh's concerns, the GP called Pam directly, but again, she refused to be seen.
It was when other family members also raised concerns, that Kayleigh's mum agreed to an appointment with the memory clinic. Kayleigh says: "They quickly confirmed that she had scored very poorly on the various memory tests they perform, and they had referred her
Actor Bruce Willis has been diagnosed with frontotemporal dementia. Last week, the family of Bruce Willis shared that the actor has been diagnosed with frontotemporal dementia. The news has been met with an outpouring of support for the family, along with similar stories being shared of hurt and frustration at a disease that affects millions. Dementia is the name for a range of conditions that cause damage to the brain. This damage can affect memory, thinking, language and the ability to carry out everyday tasks. Early signs can be hard to detect, with indicators including memory loss, changes in behaviour and difficulties with language. Depending on the case, dementia can progress quickly or more gradually, and no one can accurately predict how the condition will develop. However, what is known is the impact this disease can have, not only for the person diagnosed, but for their loved ones too. For Kayleigh Ogleby, watching her mum, Pam, experience dementia has been heartbreaking. She first noticed something wasn’t right during lockdown in 2020. ‘Mum was 70 when the first signs appeared,’ Kayleigh tells The Agency. ‘Just silly little things at first, like forgetting the names of objects and calling her beloved cat, a dog. Her text messages also became a bit odd, with common words spelt strangely.’ Worried about her parent, Kayleigh raised the issue directly.
Kayleigh’s mother Pam
‘It was met with an extremely hostile response from Mum,’ she explains. ‘She told me she was fine and to mind my own business. However, I knew there was something seriously wrong by this point and called the doctor myself.’
After listening to Kayleigh’s concerns, the GP called Pam directly,
(Image Source: https://metro.co.uk)
(Image Source: https://metro.co.uk)
(Image Source: https://metro.co.uk)
(Image Source: https://metro.co.uk)
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