Two sets of breakfast? Something's amiss

When memories leave a person, who else can safe keep them? For Madam Tan, 64, her diagnosis of early dementia two years ago meant her son has become the custodian of some of her memories.

"I forget and he tells me. I didn't know I had forgotten," she says of his childhood memories of going to Chinatown, for instance.

The retired factory worker, who does not want to be identified, has lived with her younger son, Mr Soon, 39, and his family for about 10 years.

Mr Soon, an executive in the finance industry, employs a domestic helper, butMadam Tan, who is widowed, also helps care for his twosons, aged seven and four.

When his household ended up with two sets of breakfast one day, he realised that Madam Tan had bought a meal, even though she had been told there was one.

Her uncharacteristic forgetfulness prompted him to get her diagnosed.

More people will get dementia in greying Singapore and, some, such as MadamTan, will probably have to rely on their loved ones to notice that their memory loss is not a sign of old age.

Associate Professor Nagaendran Kandiah, senior consultant at National Neuroscience Institute's Department of Neurology, says: "Memory loss related to normal ageing is isolated, not persistent and often for trivial matters.

"For example, in normal ageing,'an elderly person may forget the name of someone they see infrequently.

However, an elderly person with dementia will likely forget even the names of people they knowwell and meet regularly."

In a speech marking World Alzheimer's Day last month, Senior Minister of State for Health Amy Khor said that with one in 10 people aged 60 and older estimated to have dementia, the number of seniors with the disease is set to rise as Singapore's population ages.

While Alzheimer's disease is the most common type of dementia, there are other forms of the illness, such as Frontotemporal Dementia andLewyBody Dementia.

Young-onset dementia can affect people in their 40s and 50s.

A representative for the Alzheimer's Disease Association says warning signs of dementia include changes in personality, as well as difficulties in executing plans, such as following a recipe, or in performing familiar tasks, such as remembering the rules of a favourite game.

Sufferers may also lose track of dates or display poorer judgment by, for example, giving large amounts ofmoneyto strangers.

Dr Khor added in her speech that the resources available to people with the disease include the authorities' initiative to expand the capacity of memory clinics by 77 per cent over the past five years so that seniors have access to early diagnosis.

Dr Philip Yap, senior consultant at the Department of Geriatric Medicine at Khoo Teck Puat Hospital, says: "The same factors that help prevent the onset of dementia are equally applicable in delaying the progression of the illness."

These factors include keeping physically active; controlling chronic diseases, such as diabetes and hypertension; and staying socially and mentally engaged.

In Madam Tan's case, she feels her condition has stabilised with regular medication and by keeping herself occupied with yoga, karaoke and a twice-weekly programme at The Care Library, which supports persons experiencing cognitive decline.

Although she does not want acquaintances to know she has dementia - for fear of being "looked down upon" - her inner circle of friends has been supportive.

"They worry about me and will call me at 10pm to check that I've arrived home safely after an outing," she says.

Also read: Living with dementia: When life depends on these notes

This article was first published on Oct 23, 2016.
Get a copy of The Straits Times or go to straitstimes.com for more stories.