A mother-of-three who dismissed her forgetfulness as a symptom of the menopause has revealed how she was diagnosed with dementia at the age of 50.
Teacher Marie Ouldridge, of Swindon, Wiltshire, started noticing she was forgetting words, or couldn’t match words to pictures, while standing in front of her class.
‘When this first happened, I would ask the children what was on the screen,’ she explained.
Teacher Marie Ouldridge, 51, (pictured), from Swindon, Wiltshire, was diagnosed with dementia just after she turned 50 last year
Marie initially put her forgetfulness down to the menopause, but an MRI scan found that the left side of her brain, which controls language and emotions, was shrinking
She initially kept what was happening a secret from her family (pictured), including from her husband Neil (middle)
Marie confided in her aunt who explained that she had experienced forgetfulness going through the menopause, for which she had been prescribed drugs.
Not wishing to worry her husband, Neil, 51, Marie went to see a doctor. An MRI scan revealed the left side of her brain, which controls language and emotions, was shrinking.
In October last year Marie was told that, rather than stress or the menopause, the cause of her symptoms was primary progressive aphasia semantic dementia.
Shortened to semantic dementia, the hallmark of this condition is the progressive loss of the meaning of words, according to Alzheimer Europe.
Marie was forced to explain the situation to Neil when she was given a doctor’s appointment in Oxford and needed him to drive her there and back
The couple, who have been married for 28 years, were determined to enjoy Christmas last year before telling their children and workplaces
It is also diagnosed far younger – usually between 45 and 55 – than more common forms of dementia and can be hereditary, although Marie’s case is not, and can develop into Alzheimer’s.
Marie, who is mother to Joseph, 23, Tommy, 21, and Georgia, 18, said: ‘You just don’t think of this as something someone younger, someone my age, can suffer from. You think about it as a condition people in their 80s get – not someone in their 50s.’
Neil was left shocked when he sat in on one of his wife’s assessments and saw her struggling to recognise basic things.
He said: ‘I suppose I was still in denial at the start. I was thinking if it was something like stress then it could be remedied. It took me a while to really understand what it was.’
The couple were determined to enjoy Christmas before breaking the news to their children and workplaces at the start of 2020.
‘My children weren’t scared when we told them,’ said Marie. ‘I said, “Don’t worry, I’m fine and I will be fine. I’m going to live for a long time, it’s just that the wrong word might come out and if it does you can tell me the right word”.’
Marie’s work colleagues were understanding of her condition and allowed her additional rest periods between classroom sessions.
However, her show of strength was for other people’s benefit as she admitted she was scared: ‘I was very upset. I had read lots of things about dementia online and would cry on the way to work, be normal once I got there, cry on the way home and be normal once I got there, too.’
Doctors recommended speech therapy as a way of stalling Marie’s language deterioration.
The first national coronavirus lockdown allowed the couple to spend valuable time with their children.
However, Alzheimer’s Society data shows that four in five of those who have dementia saw their condition get worse during the first lockdown, with a third saying they felt like ‘giving up’ since the start of the pandemic.
Marie said that her children were not scared when she revealed she had dementia and her work colleagues gave her additional break periods at school between classroom sessions
Doctors recommended speech therapy as a way of limiting the deterioration of her language
As a result, Neil and Marie are keen to raise awareness about the risk of dementia to young people and the need for further research into finding a cure.
Marie, who has volunteered to take part in UK research trials, said: ‘When you think about dementia and older people you’re thinking about their care. but with younger people, it’s more about finding a cure.’
Additionally, the Ouldridge family have been fundraising for the Alzheimer’s Society by taking part in their annual 12-mile Memory Walk and have also launched a JustGiving page.
Yet, Marie admits that prior to her diagnosis, she had taken the health of her brain for granted, saying: ‘As a family, we’re trying to raise awareness, so that people start thinking about their brain and what they can do to keep it healthy.
‘Exercise is important – I go to the gym and do Zumba – and so are things like doing puzzles and eating a healthy diet.’
The Ouldridge family are now fundraising to raise money for the Alzheimer’s Society and initially wanted to raise £400, but have already received ten times that amount
Her diagnosis, which came at a time when she and Neil were looking forward to a new phase of life together, as their children had grown up, has made them rethink their future.
‘We’re talking about how to have a better work/life balance and more of the quality of life we all had during the lockdown,’ said Neil.
‘We just want to spend more time – and as much positive time – together as we can, so we’re even thinking about early retirement.
‘We have a wonderful family and we will continue to enjoy our lives together and make new memories for as long as we can.’
For information about dementia, or to donate to the Alzheimer’s Society Christmas Appeal go to: alzheimers.org.uk.