This Morning presenter Sian Welby has admitted she “can’t bear” the thought of her father’s Dementia worsening and has even thought about his death, in an emotional new interview.
The 37-year-old’s dad Ian, 84, suffers from Vascular dementia, a common type of the disease caused by reduced blood flow to the brain, as stated by the NHS.
The host has said she is “almost in denial” about her dad’s illness worsening and is “clinging onto” how he is at present, where he “just seems forgetful”.
She explained: “Some days are worse than others don’t get me wrong. Some days it’s almost unbearable repetition, [but] with him it’s mainly memory rather than behaviour as such.
“But, the thought of him just not knowing who we are and for my poor mum, she’s terrified that he’ll wake up one day and not [know].
“He’s had moments where he hasn’t known who she was and he thought she was her mum that he’s recognised.”
Speaking further about the later stages of Dementia and his memory worsening, the mother-of-one went on to discuss the tough conversation she’s already had with her family.
“The thought of that stage, if I’m being honest, I would rather he died before that and it’s a weird feeling that me and my sister have spoken about,” she shared on the It Can’t Just Be Me podcast.
“At one point, when he was really bad and we thought that he actually might not ever walk again, he got ill which then combined with everything else, it was horrendous.
“And we were almost wishing that he just died because you want the most respectful, peaceful way for someone to go.
“And, it just seems so cruel that if you can’t cure these things, there’s not even a dignified way to go, you just have to let this thing do its thing and you don’t know how many years that’s going to be for. That is what is so cruel.”
She added: “You might watch the person you know and love be torn away from you in plain sight, in front of you, but their shell and their body is still representing them, so you never get to grieve, because you keep getting reminded about who they were and that, for me, is what makes it so horrible.”
For now, Sian said she still treats her dad as normal and includes him in tasks and conversations where possible. In a bid to remind him of times and dates and trigger his memory, she said purchasing him a clock, which also includes the current year, has also helped.
According to the NHS, Vascular dementia is estimated to affect around 180,000 people in the UK.
Early signs can include mild:
- slowness of thought
- difficulty with planning
- trouble with understanding
- problems with concentration
- changes to your mood or behaviour
- problems with memory and language (but these are not as common as they are in people with Alzheimer’s disease)
The website also states that these problems may be barely noticeable or mistaken for something else, such as depression, at the beginning, but they indicate some brain damage has happened and that treatment is needed.
The symptoms often continue to get worse over time. This may happen slowly, or in sudden steps every few months or years.