26/09/05 Alzheimer's set to take centre stage in TV soap
HE'S always been the bolshy, confident character on the cobbles of Coronation Street, but this year Mike Baldwin's life is set to take a dramatic turn in the soap.
The character, played by 70-year-old Johnny Briggs, is showing the first signs of Alzheimer's disease. Millions of viewers will watch as the bubbly factory boss becomes increasingly forgetful and goes into a gradual decline from the condition.
While Mike puts his memory loss down to old age, in reality, dementia is a disease that affects more than 750,000 people in the UK - yet there is still a lot of ignorance about the symptoms and the help that can be offered.
"Dementia is surrounded by stigma and myth because there is a lack of education about the disease," says Melanie Legg of Alzheimer's Disease International - an umbrella group of 66 Alzheimer's associations.
"People tend to think it's a natural part of growing old and ageing but people over 50, or even younger, can be afflicted by it. Many often mistake dementia as old people going crazy rather than recognising that it is an illness."
The fact that the issues which surround dementia will now be highlighted in Coronation Street - making thousands of people more aware of the disease - is being welcomed by Alzheimer's organisations, desperate to raise awareness of the condition.
Ms Legg says: "As long as it's handled sensitively and shows the truth of how people and their families cope with dementia, then this is to be welcomed. There are so many myths about Alzheimer's, using Coronation Street as a way of telling the truth about the condition could be very good."
Dementia, after all, is not a natural part of growing old, rather it's a progressive, degenerative brain syndrome that affects memory, thinking, behaviour and emotion. It affects one in 20 people over the age of 65 and one in five over the age of 80.
In Scotland, there are an estimated 63,000 people suffering from different forms of dementia, including Alzheimer's disease - and more than 9000 people in the Lothians have the condition, with the figure rising steadily over the years. Between 2003 and 2005, there was a rise of four per cent in the total number of sufferers.
Worldwide, there are an estimated 18 million people with the disease, but in 20 years' time, this figure is set to almost double to 34 million. Jim Jackson, chief executive of Alzheimer Scotland, attributes this predicted rise to the increase in average life expectancy: "Obviously the amount of people growing older is set to increase and therefore dementia will be more prevalent in the future.
"We estimate there will be approximately 84,300 people with dementia in Scotland by 2025."
There is no failsafe way to prevent dementia, but there is now good evidence to suggest that a healthy lifestyle and diet could reduce your risk. Ms Legg agrees: "Whether changes people make to their lifestyle can actually reduce the risk of getting Alzheimer's is being debated by doctors and scientists, but it's generally recommended that you keep your mind busy as you grow older and pursue an active life."
Research is constantly being undertaken to find a "cure" for dementia and much of the work is currently focused on stem cells. Ironically in America, the Reagan Institute - the leading research unit established by the former President who died of the disease - is finding itself hamstrung by legislation which does not allow embryonic stem cell research, which many believe could help in the fight to find such a cure.
But in the UK at present, sufferers are treated with a drug which can help the brain to work more effectively. Jim Jackson says: "It doesn't treat the cause of the illness, but it means people can concentrate a bit more, pay attention and join in conversation.
"That means they might be able to listen to the radio or watch television when they would find that difficult in the past.
"It's not an earth-shatteringly brilliant drug, but it's the only drug that's available that allows these patients to keep a hold of their life and maintain their dignity a bit longer."
HOWEVER, he says there are moves to withdraw the treatment on the grounds that it is not good value. In England, proposals have been mooted by the National Institute of Clinical Excellence to stop prescribing the drug, and NHS Scotland may follow suit.
Mr Jackson says: "We don't believe it's expensive - just more than £1000 per year per patient. Compared to other treatments, that's extremely good value for money."
Even if the memory is improved in the early stages by drugs, the progressive nature of the disease means dementia has a physical impact on the person affected, leaving them increasingly dependent on other people.
Ms Legg says: "From diagnosis it takes about ten years to full-blown dementia and the disease is always fatal. At the beginning stages, someone with dementia is usually aware of their degeneration. They realise they're losing clarity and that is something that's very frustrating for someone having recently been diagnosed. But in the later stages it is often down to the carer to sift through the trauma of the disease."
Research has shown that despite the gradual degeneration, most people with dementia live in their own homes and are usually cared for by a female, which involves "substantial psychological and financial strain".
Ms Legg says: "If the carer does not have the support of family, society or a support group, they can be left completely isolated in the latter stages of the disease. It's important that both the sufferer and carer go to a support group to vent frustrations.
"When you're caring for someone 24 hours a day and they're doing things like getting up in the middle of the night to leave the house, feelings of anger and frustration towards that person are completely natural. The relationship between the person suffering from dementia and their carer can be a very tricky one."
Support, then, is vital for people with dementia and their families to maintain and improve the quality of life for both parties. Just who Mike Baldwin will turn to has yet to be seen.
From (edinburghnews.scotsman.com)