Dementia Support Line
Q&A: Jenny Howarth
Jenny Howarth, an 81-year old woman with vascular dementia in West Yorkshire, answers our questions.
What would you take to your desert island?
Something to do with my hands, like knitting or sewing, though my arthritis means I can’t do much of this now – I just watch BBC1 or BBC2 or listen to Radio 4, and I use Radio 5 as a lullaby because I can’t get Radio 4 on my bedside radio!
What song or tune sums up your life so far?
A hymn. My immediate thought is All things bright and beautiful, going back to my childhood. It’s the first hymn they teach you at Sunday school, and I enjoyed singing it at the age of five or six.
What single thing would improve your quality of life?
Take the arthritis out of my hands so I can do embroidery again. I used to do a lot of embroidery. I’ve got a piece hanging up in the kitchen, and everybody looks at it and asks about it. It’s done as a leaf, but using many different sorts of stitches. I started with printed material, because I can’t draw!
What is your most treasured possession?
My dog Simba, a lurcher. She is a very communicative dog – she can look at you and make noises at you, telling you when she wants to eat. She’s tired today because we had quite a walk on top of the hills. Living in the Pennines, we have to walk high on the hills so the dog doesn’t bother the sheep.
Answer our questions
If you have dementia and would like to answer our questions for a future article, email us to let us know.
Jules (daughter and carer)
saysWhy is it that my mum doesn't have any "nouns" in her vocabulary, neither does she remember how to knit, turn the tv over to another channel, undress before showering, use the only button on her phone to ring me. I have read a lot of the real life stories on here and in particular, the patients, all seem to know what they are doing or would like to do and remembers knitting, sewing, watching favourite programs. My mum has lost all this, needs assistance with dressing, meds, cooking meals, walking, bathing, hair washing. She puts her dirty clothes on the washing line to "dry", she irons her dirty underwear and talks in "2s" meaning 2 tablets in the morning, "4s" tablets in evening and "3s" - took me a long time with this one, but eventually I twigged that she meant the wheelie bins outside. Does all this sound familiar with Vascular Dementia or is it more Alzheimer's. She has been diagnosed with both and has had the diagnosis for 3 years, but was forgetting years before. Mum is 88 in May 2020.
Hi Jules, thanks for getting in touch.
It might be worth speaking with one of our dementia advisers on 0333 150 3456. They can talk through the situation with your mum, provide advice and support. They're available seven days a week - you can find the opening hours here: https://www.alzheimers.org.uk/dementiaconnect
In the meantime, you might like to discuss this with our online community. Talking Point is a great way to share experiences with other people affected by dementia, including family members and carers. Find out more: https://www.alzheimers.org.uk/get-support/dementia-talking-point-our-on…
We hope this helps, Jules.
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Alzheimer's Society blog team
Pamela Joyce
saysMy dad is 74 and we think he’s got it and his 5 daughters are worried sickp