ALZHEIMER'S Disease is an illness often talked about, but rarely understood. Cyril Cavies nursed his wife Kit through Alzheimer's for eight years and knows how destructive it can be. Here Cyril and some of the people who provide respite for sufferers and their families talk to DONNA ANSBRO

KIT CAVIES was diagnosed in 1983 as suffering from Alzheimer's Disease and, after years of suffering, she died in 1990. She was 63.

"I know what it is like to have the strain of Alzheimer's placed on to my family," Cyril said.

"I have two daughters and we had to live through the ordeal together."

Cyril, a member of the Central Lancashire branch of the Alzheimer's Disease Society, which covers East Lancashire, noticed something was wrong with his wife after a close relative died and their two daughters were planning for their weddings.

Cyril believed she was suffering from depression and began to make excuses for her behaviour.

"I dismissed it as a simple problem and tried to cover up the fact that something serious could be wrong," he said.

After a holiday to Ireland, Cyril decided to take action and seek medical advice. This led to consulting psychiatrists and neurologists to try to uncover the real problem. In 1983, Kit was diagnosed as having Alzheimer's. Cyril said: "It was difficult to accept, but I had to get on with it, so I started to read up about the disease. It was then that I joined the Alzheimer's Disease Society and, in 1986, helped to set up the Central Lancashire Branch."

Cyril was working full time and was struggling to find care for Kit while he was at work. In 1987, he retired, aged 58, to look after his wife.

"Looking after someone with Alzheimer's is a struggle. It takes it out of you and it is difficult to see someone you love in this position".

In November 1990, Kit lost her battle against the condition. Since then Cyril has been actively involved in the work carried out on the treatment of Alzheimer's and hopes one day there will be a cure.

"No drug on the market today can cure someone of Alzheimer's, but new technology may advance this," he said.

There are around 670,000 sufferers in the UK and the figure is rising by around 180,000 every year. In East Lancashire there are about 1,500 patients suffering from the disease. There are many aspects to Alzheimer's and one common condition is dementia - the progressive loss of mental abilities.

There can also be changes in the behaviour of a person and they can have a gradual loss of skills which are needed to carry out simple every day tasks.

It is estimated that 50 or 60 per cent of people with dementia have characteristics which can be linked to Alzheimer's.

Initially, in the first stages of the disease, a person may become more forgetful and more anxious about having to make decisions. They may repeat their words and become irritable if they cannot manage a task or say what they mean.

In later behaviour, a loss of short-term memory may become more apparent and there may be confusion about time or places. It may be difficult for a patient to carry out simple tasks such as reading and conversations may be difficult to understand.

There have been several explanations for the disease, including genetics and head injuries, but no one argument has any scientific proof. There is research that can point to cases where these aspects may have had an influence on the disease, but there is no evidence. Caring for someone with Alzheimer's is a hard task, but there are institutions to help families.

At the Springfield Clinic, Preston New Road, Blackburn, a new unit specialises in dementias. The unit has only been open for seven weeks and offers care for all forms of the disease.

"The unit is designed to give the residents their individuality and space," explains Jackie Floyd, matron of Springfield.

"There are no set times when people must get up or go to bed as everyone is different."

Families are encouraged to stay with relatives and eat with them if they wish.

Eamonn Poland, manager and matron of Glades Home, Preston, said: "Residents will come here in the last stages of Alzheimer's disease and we want to discourage their families from thinking that once they are here, they are controlled by strict rules. They are not.

"We allow each person to live their lives as they would before they developed the disease."

The Alzheimer's Disease Society offers information about Alzheimer's and wishes to ensure that people know where they can get help if they have any queries.

A helpline is also available for people in need of advice. The number is 0171 306 0606. For local advice, phone Angie Connell on 01254 293363.

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