Dementia Stories

This is the best feel good dementia story that I’ve witnessed in my time as a paramedic.

Dementia is often defined by a progressive deterioration of cognitive function, such as memory, judgement and concentration as a result of an organic disease or disorder involving the person’s brain. However, it should be noted that many people who suffer with a progression of dementia, still have a perfectly good memory of experiences from their early childhood and young adulthood.

This is a story about a patient I recently looked after who has a very late stage  form of dementia, but still lives at home with his wife, is still capable of helping on the farm that he has owned and loved for more than 50 years, and although his cognitive function has deteriorated dramatically, his life long gregarious, steadfast and self resolve nature still holds true.

It goes without saying that the names, addresses and locations of this patient have been made up for the sake of patient confidentiality, but the actual dementia story itself is true…

Fred is a 92 year old man who has owned and lived on a farm in the outback of Australia with his wife Jeanette. Almost 15 years ago he was diagnosed with a progressively worsening disease called dementia. He has difficulty recalling where he is, what he should be doing at present, and the names of family and friends – although he still recalls his wife of 50+ years, and has a fond (if a little vague) recollection of his children and many grandchildren… he has little inclination of who most of the people around him are. But he has always been a gregarious sort of person, and happy enough to get along with a stranger as much as a dear friend, so he is well suited to this.

He’s been running the farm for more than 50 years, and although he can’t remember much about today, he recalls perfectly the work that he was performing 40 odd years ago as though it was yesterday; and that which he can’t seem to remember how to do, he is more than capable of using his dogged obstinance and steadfast determination to work it out.

Fred had his drivers licence revoked more than 15 years ago, before he was diagnosed with dementia, due to the fact that he was regularly having falls and although he hadn’t yet been diagnosed with dementia, he was unable to provide the reasurance to his wife (and the Roads and Traffic Authority) that he was safe to drive. Because of the dementia, he would regularly forget that he was not supposed to drive, and after a few ‘accidents’ – his wife took to hiding the car keys.

However, there were multiple half dilapidated cars around the paddocks – all of these had had their starter motors unplugged so that Fred couldn’t accidently drive off…

And here is where our story starts…

Jeanette has driven to town for a couple hours and left Fred at home by himself. Fred isn’t as mobile as he used to be, and is quite happy just to wonder around his paddock (which no longer has much livestock)…

When Jeanette got home, she found Fred was missing… she looked everywhere and eventually realised that the old Ford out the back was missing… she’s surprised because she recalls removing its starter motor herself. She contacted the police and because our Ambulance Station was closer to the area, they contacted us and asked if we could go help look for this gentleman.

We drove out… and along with the several volunteer emergency services, spent some time searching for Fred. After about two hours, we returned to the house to find fred returning with his truck and the trailer attached.

He came bouding up the driveway in his truck very distressed by all these emergency services around and said “Is my wife alright? Tell me – what is wrong with my wife!”

He had no  idea who we were or any of the other volunteers in the area were (all of whom had known him for years), but he recognised his wife and was relieved to hear that she was alright, and then made her promise him that she wouldn’t scare him like that again.

When asked where he had been, Fred responded that he had taken a bunch of stuff to the garbage tip that he had been meaning to do for years…

Although Fred had no recollection of fixing his truck… it was determined that in his old dogged and obstinate way, he had worked on the truck for a while trying to get it started… before eventually lifting the bonnet and noticing that the starter motor was unplugged.

To this day, Fred lives with his wife, Jeanette in a beautiful farm over-looking some mountains and a small valley…