STATE of MIND

Dementia is about to become an increasingly urgent problem for many Kiwis. While scientists grapple with its complex causes, prevention remains a useful tool.

- SARAH CATHERALL

Fred Browning doesn’t know it’s Monday – the 72-year-old just knows it’s the day he goes to a cognitive therapy group in Wellington City. On Thursdays, he spends the morning at a neurological choir session, and in the evening, his son and grandchildren come for dinner. Recently, the former BNZ banker forgot what he’d had for dessert. “When are we going to have our ice cream?’’ he asked, 15 minutes after he’d eaten it.

Nine years ago, his wife, Yvonne, began to suspect her husband was developing dementia. She happened to be working as an occupational therapist in a geriatric team, helping elderly people with the condition, so she knew the signs.

Fred was 63 at the time. He began forgetting things, had no desire to get a job, and slumped into a bout of depression. “The thing that made me think, ‘Uh oh’, was when we were doing the dishes and Fred couldn’t remember where the pots went,’’ she says.

Sitting in their sun-drenched kitchen in the Wellington suburb of Tawa, Fred chuckles that he’s still expected to do the dishes: “It was a bit of a gradual thing for me.’’

The couple took their time to share the news with friends and family, including their three sons, who are now in their forties. Says Yvonne: “We hoped it was a misdiagnosis. We waited to tell people until we got used to the idea. We felt that people would judge him.’’