Let's talk about Dementia

Sally's husband is 58 and yet could have had this disease for many years before being officially diagnosed. Here she describes the symptoms, his increasingly irrational behaviour, how he got on at the memory clinic, the problems she encountered with some health professionals when seeking a diagnosis, plus her increassing sense of isolation. As ever, powerful and insightful.

A very rare form of Alzheimer's that affects the back of the brain, leading to spatial and visual problems. Professor Michael Hornberger explains the symptoms, what's happening within the brain and how the disease develops over time. It's rare, making diagnosis difficult of course, which makes life for both sufferers and carers doubly hard.

Paul cares for his wife suffering with this disease but my goodness it has been a difficult journey, and indeed, continues to be so. Here he explains the difficulties encountered when trying to make sense of what was happening, why the diagnosis took so long, the role of the different health professionals involved, the sense of isolation and how they cope. Powerful and humbling to listen to - as with all the carers I've spoken to, their love shines through everything.

FTD is a rare form of the disease which usually impacts those under 65, and starts in two specific areas of the brain. Here we explore the symptoms, its impact on semantic knowledge, how sufferers frequently hide their symptoms, the loss of 'filters' which can make for challenging behaviour, what's actually happening within the brain as the disease develops - all explained in terms we can all understand.

Sue is dealing with her Mum's Alzheimers and just recently her husband's vascular dementia. Here she explains the symptoms they exhibited at the outset, how the disease has developed, the reaction of both her Mum and husband, plus friends and neighbours too. Professionals feature heavily, some wonderful, whilst others weren't as good. Packed full of helpful tips and insight.

Alzheimer's is the most common form of Dementia - here we explore the symptoms both at the onset and as the disease develops, what's actually happening in different parts of the brain, the role of health professionals, the importance of exercise and nutrition - all in a language we can all understand. The more we can shine a light on this all too common disease, the better we may be able to cope.

Kevin first became aware that something wasn't quite right with his wife in 2008, but it took a long time before a formal diagnosis was made. Here Kevin shares his experiences and how he tackled dealing with different health professionals. It's been very difficult as the disease takes hold and we hope his experiences can help others in a similar position.

Dementia explained in layman terms by an expert, answering the Frequently Asked Questions we all want to know about this disease. Common symptoms, how it progresses, what causes it, the different variants, the role of proteins, diagnosis, treatment...Michael has been studying the disease for over 15 years and shares his knowledge in this first podcast in the series we've put together - essential listening, as this disease touches so many.