Pat on how science is helping him to face memory loss

“Over two years ago I noticed my memory deteriorating. It’s understandable to have a loss of memory as you get older, but my father had Alzheimer’s, and I saw how he’d declined quite rapidly. In the end, he didn’t know who we were. I didn’t want my wife to go through what my mother had.

I went to see my GP and he asked a few questions. He didn’t think it was anything that serious but obviously, he saw I was worried about it. He actually put me in touch with Memory Services. I’m so grateful for him.

The clinic phoned me up, asked a few questions, and I did a test. Then they asked if I’d like to talk to other people who were having similar problems. We used to have a weekly meeting on Zoom chaired by someone from the clinic team. As well as discussing how we were getting on, he would explain the different sorts of dementia.

I was offered a lumbar puncture to detect whether I’ve got the proteins present in Alzheimer’s. I’ve got two grandchildren who both had very difficult births and in their early months were given lumbar punctures. I thought if a young baby can survive it, I’m sure I can. It wasn’t painful at all. I’d certainly recommend to anybody if they had worries, to have that test done.

It told me what I wanted to find out. The Alzheimer’s proteins are present. My memory hasn’t got any worse over the last couple of years, which I take as a positive. I write everything down and diarise everything, which I found made it that much easier to remember things.

Being part of this clinical trial I’ve had seven or eight cognitive tests. I’ve also had regular check-ups with MRI scans and PET scans, and once every three to six months, they would give me an examination. They were all extremely helpful, very considerate, and very thorough in what they did. I can’t speak highly enough of the service. It’s been absolutely first-class.”