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NHS issues dementia alert on symptoms to watch out for this Christmas | United Kingdom | News

England’s top dementia doctor has urged people to look out for new symptoms in older loved ones when they get together for Christmas.

Some 499,068 people have now been diagnosed with dementia, an increase of 19,416 on the same period last year.

It is estimated that around two thirds of people aged over 65 have been diagnosed with dementia, but thousands more are still living with dementia without accessing all the help available.

Dr Jeremy Isaacs, NHS England’s national clinical director for dementia, said symptoms often develop slowly and people need to be alert for changes in loved ones who they have not seen for some time.

He added: “There are many reasons why people might be forgetful or distracted at such a busy time of year, but it could also be a sign that something is wrong.

“Problems that may not have been obvious before, such as forgetfulness, difficulty planning or finding words, may surface or be easier to spot when families or friends from across the country come together during the holiday season. »

Getting a diagnosis is the first step towards accessing a wide range of NHS services, Dr Isaacs said.

He added: “If you have noticed someone has symptoms, encourage them to see their GP for an assessment – ​​the sooner someone is seen, the sooner the NHS can help. »

Subtle changes in his behavior were among the first signs that something was wrong for 79-year-old Dr. Matthew Alexander.

Sara, 73, the former GP’s wife of more than 50 years, remembers one particular incident in which he became confused for about five minutes.

She said: “We were sitting around the table and it was like suddenly he was in a different place. It’s difficult to explain, he said things that made no sense, he confused everything.

Dr. Alexander had recently undergone surgery to remove a liver tumor the size of an orange, and at first his family thought the confusion might be related to his recovery from cancer.

Sara and the couple’s two children watched him closely. On another occasion, he suffered an unexpected fall in the house and had to be taken to hospital by ambulance.

“It was all really unnatural, little things,” Sara said. “I never thought about dementia, the word was not in my vocabulary. I just thought, “something’s wrong.”

Sara became determined to discover the cause of her husband’s unusual behavior and arranged a visit to a memory clinic.

But shortly before he was to undergo tests, it was discovered that his cancer had returned. Doctors felt stress might interfere with the results, so he went undiagnosed, and then the pandemic hit.

Dr Alexander was eventually diagnosed with vascular dementia and Alzheimer’s in May this year.

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