SafeHomeDIY
  • Home
  • Health
    • Health Today
    • Women’s Health
    • Safety
    • Health & Fitness
    • Weight Loss
  • Nutrition
    • Diet
    • Food & Recipe
    • Skin Care
  • Allergies & Diseases
    • Autism
    • Remedies
  • Pets
  • News
  • #COVID-19
  • Guest Post
SafeHomeDIY
Subscribe
SafeHomeDIY
  • Home
  • Health
    • Health Today
    • Women’s Health
    • Safety
    • Health & Fitness
    • Weight Loss
  • Nutrition
    • Diet
    • Food & Recipe
    • Skin Care
  • Allergies & Diseases
    • Autism
    • Remedies
  • Pets
  • News
  • #COVID-19
  • Guest Post
  • Health
  • News

I keep forgetting that I’ve got this horrible illness: BONNIE ESTRIDGE on life with Alzheimer’s  

  • May 4, 2020
  • SafeHomeDIY
Chris and I are on holiday ¿ we¿ve come to see an old friend Patricia, who lives here in Barcelona

Chris and I are on holiday ¿ we¿ve come to see an old friend Patricia, who lives here in Barcelona

Chris and I are on holiday – we’ve come to see an old friend Patricia, who lives here in Barcelona 

I am writing this column from my hotel room in Barcelona, sporting a large plaster on my left knee. Chris and I are on holiday – we’ve come to see an old friend Patricia, who lives here. The weather is lovely, and sightseeing has been fabulous: the Picasso museum and the big cathedral, the Sagrada Familia were both awesome.

But, while crossing a road I tripped over the kerb and, bang, there I was on the ground. I’d just like to say, Your Honour, that I was completely sober.

I’ve read that dementia can cause problems with balance and co-ordination, but I don’t think my fall was a sign of anything sinister. It was one of those things. The kerb just sort of came out of nowhere.

I’d like to say I didn’t cry, but if I’m honest, I was a bit tearful.

It was a shock. Falling over isn’t something you do very often as a grown up – which makes me all the more impressed, in hindsight, with Madonna for being pulled backwards down the stairs on stage at the Brit Awards a few years back when her dress got snared, then getting up and keeping on dancing. I think I probably blubbed something like: ‘I want to go home…’

So Chris dusted me off and took me back to the hotel, and then popped out to get a plaster. Going out to dinner cheered us up.

I’m fine now; I’m quite tough. But sadly my trousers weren’t. There’s a hole in the knee, so I suppose I’ll need a new pair.

As readers of this column may recall, one of my favourite things is to browse in TK Maxx.

I’m actually trying to stop myself at the moment.

Last time I went out to buy dog food, I ended up going into TK Maxx and coming home with a jacket. I blame The A Word, of course.

Anyway, the holiday is great fun – but I have to admit, I keep getting a bit confused about where we are.

Memories of different holidays I’ve had come flooding back, and we’ll be walking down a street when I’ll tell Chris: ‘We’ve come here before.’ At one point, I thought we were in Nice. Another time, it was Palma. But it doesn’t bother me that I get a bit baffled because I love getting out and going places.

Last week, I watched the amazing BBC documentary My Dementia Choir. In it, Line Of Duty actress Vicky McClure got a bunch of people with dementia to sing together. It was a real tear-jerker, and I enjoyed it so much I’m pretty sure I’ll be watching it again (and again).

The weather is lovely, and sightseeing has been fabulous: the Picasso museum and the big cathedral, the Sagrada Familia, pictured, were both awesome

The weather is lovely, and sightseeing has been fabulous: the Picasso museum and the big cathedral, the Sagrada Familia, pictured, were both awesome

The weather is lovely, and sightseeing has been fabulous: the Picasso museum and the big cathedral, the Sagrada Familia, pictured, were both awesome

McClure – whose grandmother Iris had dementia and died in 2015 – also spoke to scientists studying how music can re-awaken areas of the brain in dementia patients, causing a physical and emotional response.

Music has always been massively important to me, but even more so now. I find myself listening to the same songs over and over. At the moment, the sun is streaming in the window, and I’ve got Billy Idol’s White Wedding blaring on repeat.

In the documentary, one of the men in the choir said something that echoed my thoughts exactly: I can have a thought, but in a nanosecond that thought has disappeared.

When we listen to music, memories feel more solid. Like they’re sticking, instead of flying by. Another woman in the choir said she keeps forgetting she has dementia. I do too, especially when I’m listening to music I love.

Write to Bonnie 

Email [email protected] or write to her at The Mail on Sunday, 2 Derry Street, London W8 5TT. 

When I go for a jog with Benny, my dog, or I go to Zumba – which combines exercise and music – Chris says I come back ‘sharper’ and more with it. So using my senses is clearly good for my brain. Apparently, I keep asking him when we’re going to visit Patricia. He got so irritated, he wrote in the notebook I carry with me everywhere: ‘We are seeing Patricia on f*****g Friday.’ Unfortunately, I then forget he’s written it and ask again.

Maybe I need to play White Wedding again, and have a dance – it might do my memory some good. Or it might just be a great way to spend the next few minutes of my holiday.

 

SafeHomeDIY

Health - Relationships - Lifestyle Related matters. It's All About your Safety First - It's All About You

Previous Article
  • Health
  • News

How Facebook saved one man’s life

  • May 4, 2020
  • SafeHomeDIY
View Post
Next Article
  • Health

Eczema treatment: The alternative remedy shown to alleviate itchiness

  • May 4, 2020
  • SafeHomeDIY
View Post
You May Also Like
View Post
  • Health
  • News

8 Fast-Food Chains That Use Pure Beef in Their Hot Dogs—Not That Other Stuff

  • SafeHomeDIY
  • February 1, 2023
View Post
  • Celebrity Lifestyle
  • News
  • Sports

Gisele Bündchen Makes It Clear How She Feels About Tom Brady’s Final Retirement News

  • SafeHomeDIY
  • February 1, 2023
View Post
  • Health

How to Patch Test Skin Care Products at Home, According to Experts

  • SafeHomeDIY
  • February 1, 2023
View Post
  • Celebrity Lifestyle
  • News

Britney Spears Doesn’t Mince Words In Response To Alyssa Milano’s Concern For Her Wellbeing

  • SafeHomeDIY
  • February 1, 2023
View Post
  • Celebrity Lifestyle
  • News

Christina Hall Goes To Extreme Lengths To Clear Up Her Health Issues

  • SafeHomeDIY
  • February 1, 2023
View Post
  • Business
  • News

Miranda Devine notes that the White House suddenly called a ‘brunch lid’

  • SafeHomeDIY
  • February 1, 2023
View Post
  • Celebrity Lifestyle
  • News
  • Sports

Serena Williams Tees Off Against Succession Star In Michelob’s Perfectly Nostalgic Super Bowl Ad

  • SafeHomeDIY
  • February 1, 2023
View Post
  • Fitness
  • Health
  • Health Today
  • Nutrition

Have dinner for breakfast: 33 easy, expert fitness tips you will actually stick to

  • SafeHomeDIY
  • February 1, 2023
Recent Posts
  • David Gandy Kids And Wife, Barrister Stephanie Mendoros
  • 8 Fast-Food Chains That Use Pure Beef in Their Hot Dogs—Not That Other Stuff
  • Gisele Bündchen Makes It Clear How She Feels About Tom Brady’s Final Retirement News
  • The One Thing Missing From Media ‘Reports’ on FBI Search of Joe Biden’s Rehoboth Home
  • Who Are Sam Jay Parents And Siblings? Wife & Family Details
Safe Home DIY
  • Guest Post
  • Disclaimer and Disclosure
  • Term of Use
Health - Relationships - Lifestyle Related matters. It's All About your Safety First - It's All About You

Input your search keywords and press Enter.