Dementia Awareness Week: Alzheimer's Society Launches Powerful Advert Showing Isolation Of The Illness
Powerful Ad Shows Just How Isolating Dementia Can Be
Natasha Hinde— The Huffington Post UK
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Dementia is an isolating illness, and can be increasingly distressing for patients and loved ones when connections begin to break down.
To highlight this, the Alzheimer's Society has launched a powerful short film called 'Gone'.
The advert, which was launched to coincide with Dementia Awareness Week, shows that through a combination of the right care, advice and research, dementia sufferers can stay connected to the people they love for longer.
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Dementia affects more than 850,000 people in the UK - two thirds of which are women.
While many associate the condition with ageing, there are actually 40,000 young people in the UK living with the illness.
The advertisement was created by Fallon London and shows a man sitting with his family and chatting over dinner. Suddenly, conversations become background noise and the man slowly becomes disconnected from his family until he's completely on his own.
His wife then touches his hand and he becomes connected with his loved ones once more.
Linda Seaward, head of marketing for Alzheimer’s Society, said: "It’s really important that people not only understand the isolation and disconnection experienced by many people with dementia, but know that Alzheimer’s Society is here for them.
"The film does this job beautifully."
Meanwhile, Jeremy Hughes, CEO at Alzheimer’s Society added: "850,000 people in the UK have dementia, and people over 50 now fear dementia more than any other health condition, including cancer. Despite this, understanding of the condition is poor and too few people know that there’s help and support available.
"Through our advertising campaign, we want to convey some of the experience of living with dementia, to get people talking about it, and to let anyone worried about or affected by dementia to know that, as dementia experts, we are here for them."
At times everyone can become tired of housework, business activities, or social obligations. However a person with dementia may become very passive, sitting in front of the television for hours, sleeping more than usual, or appear to lose interest in hobbies. (credit:John Rensten via Getty Images)
Changes in Personality (02 of10)
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A person with dementia may seem different from his or her usual self in ways that are difficult to pinpoint. A person may become suspicious, irritable, depressed, apathetic or anxious and agitated especially in situations where memory problems are causing difficulties. (credit:fStop Images - Carl Smith via Getty Images)
Mood Changes(03 of10)
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Everyone can become sad or moody from time to time. A person with dementia may become unusually emotional and experience rapid mood swings for no apparent reason. Alternatively a person with dementia may show less emotion than was usual previously. (credit:Mike Chick via Getty Images)
Misplace Things (04 of10)
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Anyone can temporarily misplace his or her wallet or keys. A person with dementia may put things in unusual places such as an iron in the fridge or a wristwatch in the sugar bowl. (credit:Oli Kellett via Getty Images)
Problems With Keeping Track of Things (05 of10)
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A person with dementia may find it difficult to follow a conversation or keep up with paying their bills. (credit:Chris Red via Getty Images)
Increasingly poor Judgement(06 of10)
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People with dementia may dress inappropriately, wearing several layers of clothes on a warm day or very few on a cold day. (credit:Jessica Peterson via Getty Images)
Distortion of Time and Place (07 of10)
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We sometimes forget the day of the week or where we are going but people with dementia can become lost in familiar places such as the road they live in, forget where they are or how they got there, and not know how to get back home. A person with dementia may also confuse night and day. (credit:Jupiterimages via Getty Images)
Problems With Language(08 of10)
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Occasionally everyone has trouble finding the right word but a person with dementia often forgets simple words or substitutes unusual words, making speech or writing hard to understand. (credit:Jupiterimages via Getty Images)
Difficulty Performing Familiar Tasks(09 of10)
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People with dementia often find it hard to complete everyday tasks that are so familiar we usually do not think about how to do them. A person with dementia may not know in what order to put clothes on or the steps for preparing a meal. (credit:Anthony Harvie via Getty Images)
Memory Loss(10 of10)
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Declining memory, especially short-term memory, is the most common early symptom of dementia. People with ordinary forgetfulness can still remember other facts associated with the thing they have forgotten. For example, they may briefly forget their next-door neighbour's name but they still know the person they are talking to is their next-door neighbour. A person with dementia will not only forget their neighbour's name but also the context. (credit:Compassionate Eye Foundation via Getty Images)