A woman with dementia knew something was wrong when a familiar work task became too difficult to do, which is one of the most common symptoms.
Gail was diagnosed in 2021 after realising she was struggling to recognise familiar faces. Her story has resurfaced after Birds of a Feather actress Pauline Quirke’s husband revealed she was suffering the same condition.
Steven Sheen confirmed Pauline was taking a step back from the public eye due to her health, while Maurice Gran, who worked on Birds of a Feather, revealed the actress’ condition “had progressed”.
Gail knows exactly what it is like to battle the condition young, after being diagnosed with young-onset Alzheimer’s when she was just 54. A routine check-up led to her diagnosis in 2019 but suddenly being unable to do a simple task made her realise something was wrong.
Speaking on the My Life with Dementia podcast, she explained how she used to run a business selling personalised teddy bears. Gail, who lives near Burnley, said: “My mum used to make the clothing for the bears and then I would embroider on to the bear’s top a message for that person – happy birthday, happy anniversary.
“My recall memory was beginning to fail me and I noticed people were ringing up, giving me orders over the telephone and I was writing things down, putting the phone down, and thinking, ‘were that right’?
“I realised that I couldn’t retain the messages that were being said to me so I started letting the answering machine kick in. John (her husband) realised that I was doing this and he had questioned me on why the answering machine was always on. I just kept saying it is because I’m busy – ‘I’m busy, I’m busy John, I’m busy.’ And it was because I couldn’t retain the information.”
She visited a doctor where a request to draw a clock face resulted in difficulty while she also struggled to remember an address given to her during the appointment.
Gail was soon diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease and despite feeling confused, sad and angry over the following weeks, she eventually learned to live with it. She now calls dementia her “little side kick” and focuses on what she can do in life, as opposed to what she can’t.
According to the NHS, there are some common early symptoms that people may face before officially being diagnosed with dementia. These include memory loss, difficulty concentrating and finding familiar tasks difficult, similar to what Gail experienced. They also listed struggling to follow a conversion, being confused about time and place and mood changes as other symptoms.
If you or someone you care about has concerns about possible dementia, you can find more information on the NHS website or arrange a meeting with your GP.