Mind your mind: Alzheimer's diseaseMind your mind: Alzheimer's disease
All In The Mind
There are 25 million people in the world suffering from Alzheimer's disease and the figure is forecast to double every 20 years. It's now believed that the changes in our brains that lead to the disease may begin decades before the symptoms appear. What are the early signs, and how can you distinguish them from the natural memory loss that comes with ageing? We also hear from a woman who cares for her husband with Alzheimer's and an Australian scientist who's developing a promising new drug that may stop the disease from progressing.
30:15•6 May 2006
Mind Your Mind: Living With and Caring for Alzheimer's
Episode Overview
- Alzheimer's is the most common cause of dementia, and risk increases sharply with age, though it is not regarded as a normal part of ageing.
- Short-term memory loss, changes in mood and increasing confusion are key early signs, but other treatable conditions can mimic Alzheimer's and should be checked.
- Carers like Patsy Templeton face heavy emotional and practical strain, but support groups and education can ease isolation and tension at home.
- Programs such as living with memory loss groups, reminiscence work, music, pets and sensory activities help people with dementia connect through long-held emotional memories.
- Australian researchers are trialling a new drug that targets the interaction between beta-amyloid and metals in the brain, aiming to halt tissue damage rather than just relieve symptoms.
“"When you have advanced Alzheimer's disease, your awareness of the future and the past really have very much diminished so you live in the moment."”
How do people find hope in the darkest times? This episode of All In The Mind looks at Alzheimer's disease from every angle: medical, emotional and deeply personal. Host Lynne Malcolm talks with professor of psychogeriatrics Henry Bredati, who explains that Alzheimer's is the most common cause of dementia, accounting for "50 to 70% of the dementias" and that risk rises sharply with age.
He outlines how plaques and tangles form in the brain decades before symptoms, making short-term memory loss and "mood, memory and muddle" early red flags. You'll also hear from Lewis Kaplan of The Alzheimer's Association of New South Wales, who stresses the importance of proper assessment, since vitamin problems, depression or medication issues can look similar but be treatable.
He describes the "living with memory loss" program, where people with dementia and their partners meet separately, then together, so that those with the diagnosis can finally speak openly about fears and frustrations. The heart of the episode lies with Ronald and Patsy Templeton. Ronald, diagnosed at 63, speaks movingly about words slipping away and the frustration of thinking something is done, only to find it's vanished.
Patsy, now his carer, admits, "The person I married is not there," yet she keeps going out of "loyalty" and "love", finding humour in porridge-turned-mud-pies and working hard to create calm for their family. On the research front, Dr Ashley Bush describes a new drug being trialled that targets how beta-amyloid protein interacts with metals in the brain, aiming to stop the "rusting of the tissue" rather than just easing symptoms.
Whether you're worried about your own memory, caring for someone with dementia, or just want to understand what families face, this conversation offers science, honesty and a surprising amount of warmth. What moments of connection are you holding on to, even as memories fade?
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