– This is the nursing award. It was very strong to win it. I have fought a lot for young people with dementia. Anna Marie Laugsand (60) proudly displays the award that hangs on the wall at home. She lives on Ytterøy, a small community in the Trondheimsfjord where a few hundred people live. And on the island lives a firebrand that everyone knows. She who has worked tirelessly to help people affected by dementia. A disease over 100,000 Norwegians have, which causes people to lose their memory. A fear of getting the disease In 2017, Anne Marie received the Norwegian Nurses Association’s prestigious award “Nurse of the Year in Nord-Trøndelag” for her many years of pioneering work with dementia patients. She has worked as a specialist nurse and has helped many demented people to have a better life when the disease first struck them. At the same time as she helped others, she herself felt an anxiety about getting sick. In 2021, Anne Marie learned that she had contracted Alzheimer’s, the most common cause of dementia. – When the diagnosis came I was completely devastated. I cried and mourned, and it has been a heavy grieving process. What is dementia? Dementia is a collective name for several brain diseases that affect behavior and the ability to think, think and carry out everyday activities. Most people who get the disease are over 65, but younger people can also get dementia. The disease develops slowly over time and cannot be cured. The most common cause of dementia is Alzheimer’s disease (60 to 70 percent of all dementias). Vascular dementia is the second most common (around 20 per cent). Source: FHI. Gathered the people But Anna Marie wanted to continue to give of herself, Therefore she invited all the inhabitants of the island to tell about the disease. So that others can gain more knowledge about what it actually entails. Not a seat was vacant in the assembly hall. – You wanted to talk to the people…Gräten takes husband Karl Laugsand. That Anna Marie chose to show strength in the situation is something he believes says a lot about her. – You have been a central person in the village and everyone is fond of you. And it has been important for her to choose to look at life positively. – We quickly decided to always be optimists. So we followed the advice of the doctors, namely to live life now. Trønder-Avisa has also previously featured Anna Marie’s story. Anna Marie told all the inhabitants of the island about what it is like to live with dementia. It was also a strong experience for her husband Karl. Transparency is important The National Association for Public Health says the number of Norwegians with dementia will probably double in the next twenty years. One of the reasons may be that we are getting older and older. The association is impressed by the openness Anna Marie has chosen to show. – It means a lot. We need more people who know more about dementia, so that more people can stand up and be part of the team that is needed around people who are affected by this disease, says Mina Gerhardsen. She is general secretary of the association, and believes that far too many people feel that they have to face dementia alone. – They receive a diagnosis of a fatal illness and have to figure everything out themselves. It shouldn’t be like this. This is a tough diagnosis to get. It shouldn’t be hard to get help. Secretary General of the National Association for Public Health, Mina Gerhardsen. Photo: André Bendixen / news Travels to Australia Back on Ytterøy, the days are now spent being with friends and family, and having a good time. – I have become quieter, have problems talking and I am not able to do as much as I did before. Me, I don’t think much about being sick, says Anna Marie. She no longer works because of the illness. Together with her husband, they now do what they want. – We have decided to use the time we now have, he says. And so they are now going to Australia. To enjoy life, and live in the present. – It will be very good. I want to swim, sunbathe and enjoy myself.
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Anna Marie Laugsand devoted her life to helping people with dementia – then she got the disease herself – news Trøndelag
