Play looks at rippling effects of dementia diagnosis on families

Caring for someone you love is a role which many would embrace without hesitation. How could you not help someone when you know they would give up everything for you in an instant?

That is the easy decision…It is all the other adjustments to everyday life that can prove a little trickier.

Suddenly, it is not only your own meals you have to plan out, and not only your own clothes you have to wash and iron.

Time becomes a precious entity as careers and caring become a fine balancing act.

Around 64,000 people suffered from work-related illness in Scotland in 2012, a figure that the initiative, Healthy Working Lives, is trying to tackle by enforcing its message that a healthier workforce makes for a healthier business.

Reaching out to carers is high on their list.

Mary McGibbon, from HWL, explained: “There are lots of people in workplaces who also have a caring role.

“We want to raise awareness about the signs of dementia and about the help which is available to carers.

“We want them to know that reasonable adjustments can be made in workplaces to help them.”

Exploring the areas around dementia and care, a one-woman play called Seeing Auntie officially opened its doors on June 6 at the Renfield Centre during Dementia Awareness Week.

The work addresses the subject of dementia and focuses on the lives of one family, following the diagnosis of their much-loved Auntie Irene.

The story is told through the voice of Irene’s niece and traces the stages of the illness to give a powerful insight into how it affects the whole family, as well as Irene herself.

More than 130 people turned out to watch the gripping play which incorporated a family story with ideas and tips on caring for a person with dementia.

Ms McGibbon said: “We want to use Seeing Auntie to show that there is help and they are not on their own.

“So, after the play, we have stalls from Alzheimer Scotland and Healthy Working Lives so that anyone with questions can get some professional advice.”

Margo Sweeney, Alzheimer Scotland dementia advisor, said: “We are always really keen to work with a wide range of organisations to help raise the profile of dementia in a non-threatening way.

“Seeing Auntie is just one story, but many people are affected by dementia in many different ways.

“Some of the audience found the story incredibly moving. And, as well as giving them something interesting and creative to watch, it was really important for us to give anyone who needed advice the time and space they needed to get that.”

Dementia is the progressive decline of brain functions such as memory, decision making and personality.

There are many kinds of dementia but the most common is Alzheimer’s disease, which accounts for around 60% of people with dementia in Scotland.

There are 7801 people in Glasgow with dementia in 2013, the majority of whom are over 65, but it can also affect younger people.

When writer and actor Naomi Breeze set about writing Seeing Auntie, her knowledge of the condition was very sparse.

She said: “I knew very little about dementia before I worked on this play. With anything I do, I always speak to a lot of different people, read a lot about the subject and trawl the internet before starting.

“For this project, I even joined the dementia library to do more research on the topic. I then let things stew for a bit before I started making the story.

“I think the best way to draw people in is to focus on one person or one family’s story.”

Described as a performance that can evoke both laughter and tears, Naomi hopes the play will be two-fold in its outcomes by showing the challenging side to caring for a person with dementia, but also how rewarding good care can be for the entire family.

“Healthy Working Lives wanted to highlight the importance of physical activity so in the play there is someone who talks about how keeping mobile and fit can delay the onset of dementia or stabilise the condition for longer.

“I was amazed when I learned this and I feel I have a responsibility to help get that message out there.

“I feel quite humble when I see the response that I get from the audience because I am just acting a story whereas some of these people are living through it.”

Source STV Glasgow