We are what we remember, as each of us comprises where we have been, whom we have known and what we have done. When dementia robs people of all that, they are first bemused, then bewildered, while friends and families are fearful.
In this country 850,000 people suffer from dementia of some kind; 63,000 of whom under the age of 65.
Saturday the 21st January was the Race Against Dementia Day, an event established in 2016 by British Formula One racing champion Sir Jackie Stewart OBE to raise funds to advance worldwide research in the pursuit of treatments for dementia. Since his wife Helen was diagnosed with frontotemporal dementia, Sir Jackie and his team have been racing to beat dementia. The ‘Flying Scotsman’, as he was known during his sparkling career from 1965 to 1973, won three World Championships, stood on the podium for nearly half of his races, and finished runner-up in the World Championship on a further two occasions. All that depended on mental clarity and sharpness of mind, but those attributes are not the sole preserve of racing drivers – they are at the heart of much of what all of us do at work and play.
Sport itself can lead to dementia if it involves repeated exposure to trauma – from major collisions to regularly heading a football, damage can be done. Every day, some 954 people will be admitted to hospital with an acquired brain injury – that is one person every 90 seconds. With this in mind, the All-Party Parliamentary Group on Acquired Brain Injury, of which I am co-Chairman, published a detailed report titled ‘Time for change’ which concluded that raising awareness of such injuries is vital, as well as highlighting the need for a joined-up approach across Government departments. As President of the Lincolnshire brain tumour support group, I know too how can affect to mental capacity.
Dementia and acquired brain injuries could be caused by a traumatic event, such as a car accident, or blow to the head, stroke, tumour or just through aging. The effects are so varied that they can be hard to diagnose accurately. Rehabilitation can also be a challenge, which is why the work of Headway, a charity that I am Patron of, is so important.
Dementia may arrive earlier in life than anticipated with early-onset Alzheimer’s. Nevertheless, it is usually age which wearies minds. Following the Race Against Dementia Day, its organisers propose that all of us can support the aims by completing a three-kilometre run, scoot or walk, reading for three hours or playing three board games. All are intended to raise awareness of dementia by bringing people together; using their brains for activities that for dementia sufferers may no longer be possible.
The philosopher Hegel said that “Life has a value only when it has something valuable as its object.”
By supporting charities like the Race Against Dementia, Alzheimer’s Research UK, Dementia UK and the Alzheimer’s Society, and by funding research into causes and treatments, we may defeat dementia, so leaving no life dispossessed of precious memories.
