The case in summary: Gjertrud Eggen was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease after the man noticed that she began to behave a little differently than before. A Norwegian study shows that many people live with undiagnosed dementia. All the participants in the study had dementia, but only 35.6 per cent of them had received a diagnosis. Researcher Linda Gjøra at the National Center for Aging and Health was surprised by the large scale. She says it is important for both the patient and the family to get a diagnosis, so that they can get the help they need. Gjertrud and her husband, Kåre Eggen, try to live life as well as possible, despite the illness. The summary is made by an AI service from OpenAi. The content is quality assured by news’s journalists before publication. – I can tell by the fact that I can feel very confused at times. It’s just a mess in my head, and I forget a lot. It is terribly tiring, says Gjertrud Eggen. In the summer of 2020, her husband, Kåre Eggen, noticed that she kept forgetting to close the cupboard doors in the cabin. – It was very striking, because it had not happened before. And that was probably the clearest sign we really had, he says. She was later diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease. She was extra aware of symptoms, because family members have had the disease. – When I noticed something, it was very important to get a quick diagnosis, she says. In a new Norwegian study, where all the participants had dementia, it emerged that only 35.6 of them had received a diagnosis. – Many would perhaps think that I can’t bear to deal with it, can’t bear to know that I’m sick? – I can sort of understand it, because it is a rather cruel disease. There is nothing that helps, but at the same time I think it is better to know, because then you actually get access to medical care, says Gjertrud. – Not knowing what’s wrong with you – that’s worse. Surprised by the scope Linda Gjøra is a doctoral student at the National Center for Aging and Health, and one of the researchers on the study. She was surprised that so many people have dementia without knowing it. – We expected that some have not received the diagnosis. After all, we have people in the study who are in an early phase, and it often starts slowly. Then it’s not like you immediately see a doctor to get help, she says. – But eventually there are such big challenges that you would like to find out what it is, and we had thought that there would be more people with a diagnosis. Symptoms of dementia: Significant forgetfulness: Dementia can cause forgetfulness to become noticeable and affect the ability to function in everyday life, especially for new events. Problems with carrying out tasks: Routines in everyday life disappear, and the ability to solve problems is reduced. Tasks and tools that used to be simple and familiar are now difficult to handle. Language problems: Forgetting simple words or using the wrong words, making sentences difficult to understand. Disorientation: Difficulty keeping track of which day, month or season it is. May have difficulty knowing whether it is morning or evening and may turn the clock around. Impaired judgement: May have problems dressing for the weather and season. It can become difficult to make purchases and manage finances. Difficulties with abstract thinking: It can be difficult to understand numbers and symbols, such as traffic signs. It can also be difficult to understand what kind of relationship you have with other people. Change in behaviour: Can change behavior, either suddenly or over a long period of time. The person may experience rapid mood swings, without an obvious cause. Flatter mood rent: may lose interest in what was previously important. They can become uninitiative and restless, and they can have problems filling their time with something meaningful. Misplacing objects: May put objects in the wrong places, such as irons in the fridge or cups in the bathroom cupboard. Source: Helsenorge She says dementia has historically perhaps been viewed in a different way to other illnesses. – It may not have been the case that you have thought that this is something you have to investigate what it is. You might think that it’s due to age, that it’s just the way it is, and that we don’t have much to help ourselves with. Then you can’t diagnose it. Mina Gerhardsen of the National Association for Public Health says that undiagnosed dementia is challenging for several parties. – It is a huge challenge for municipalities that have to plan, but primarily families, who do not get knowledge about what kind of illness they will face. Linda Gjøra is a PhD student at the National Center for Aging and Health and works as an occupational therapist at Levanger Hospital. Photo: Martin Lundsvoll / National Center for Aging and Health Important to get good help – When someone becomes ill, this affects the next of kin to a large extent. It is an illness where you need more and more help, and then relatives often need relief and support, says Gjøra. Gjertrud and Kåre Eggen recognize themselves in that. – You have to get used to your situation, and you have to constantly get used to new things, because there is a development in the disease, says Kåre. Among other things, he points to difficult discussions between relatives and the person with dementia, as something that can often happen. – For example: If we agree on something, then Gjertrud can forget that we have agreed on it, and then we are back at it. That’s just one example, but communication is getting worse. We are already noticing it now, he says. – We have to live life as best we can. You have both received good help and support in the dementia choir Gjertrud is part of. – It gives me great joy. I am with people who also have dementia and it is very nice. We are very different, and we have different dementia diseases, but if you don’t get a diagnosis, you miss out on a lot, she says. Kåre is part of a relative group linked to the choir. – There I get a lot of experience from other relatives, who have come further. It is useful to get into a system in one way or another, he says. – What do you think about the future? – I know roughly how bad it will be. And those thoughts come from time to time, but I try to keep them away. It is not always that easy, so it is sometimes very heavy, says Gjertrud. – But we have to live our lives as best we can, and do our usual things. Keeping in touch with people and doing things that we value. Published 10.06.2024, at 11 a.m
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Many people have dementia without knowing it – researcher Linda Gjøra is surprised by the extent – news Trøndelag – Local news, TV and radio
