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Suchet: End the postcode lottery on care for dementia
Rashid Razaq17 Feb 2009
Newsreader John Suchet today launched an attack on the postcode lottery for dementia care.
The Five News presenter called for urgent investment in specialist nurses.
His call comes as he revealed that his wife, Bonnie, 67, has Alzheimer's disease. Suchet, who lives in London, said he had been pushed to the brink in coping with the diagnosis but he praised the support of his special mental health nurse of which there are only 25 in London.
The veteran journalist, who admits he has "suicidal" moments, said he "pours his heart out" to nurse Ian Weatherhead. Suchet, 64, said: "When I see him I pour my heart out to him. He encourages, advises, and most important of all, keeps telling me not to feel guilty.
"Guilt, the natural condition of the carer; for wanting to run away, wanting to have fun, wanting to form relationships, wanting to do this and that, and resenting the fact that you can't."
These NHS mental health nurses - known as "Admiral" nurses - are trained to help carers cope with their loved ones.
They are funded by charity ForDementia in partnership with health trusts. Yet they are provided by only 10 out of the capital's 32 boroughs, including Westminster, Kingston, Brent and Haringey.
Suchet said: "After the diagnosis I was told that because I live in Westminster I have access to an Admiral nurse. Having access to an Admiral nurse is a postcode lottery. Every dementia carer should have access to an Admiral nurse. They are angels on earth."
Bonnie Suchet, whom Suchet married in 1985, was diagnosed with the illness three years ago but the couple have kept it secret until now.
Because of Britain's ageing population, more than one million people will be diagnosed with the brain disease in the next decade. This month the Government published its first long-awaited strategy on dementia.
ForDementia chief executive Barbara Stephens said the role of nurses had been "underplayed" in the strategy.
She told the Evening Standard: "Everyone should have support from a specialist nurse. But the role of nurses is really underplayed in the strategy and at the moment there is very little support south of the river."
Reader views (7)
Space does not allow me to write much about Alzheimer’s; or being a carer etc.
Every case; is not always the same for everyone; people have different personalities; some can take pressure; and some cannot, some are selfish; and others are not etc.
I heard John Suchet say ‘’that his wife is not the same woman anymore’’ what he needs to understand is this; that she is the very same woman; but she now has a handicap, and needs his love and support even more than ever.
If it was the other way around; John Suchet would then need the support of his wife; or all that he would get, is a care-home and vegetation on his own.
Marriage is for better or worse; but that takes courage and loyalty; something that seems very rare today….Mick
- Mickyinlondon, london, 18/02/2009 10:06
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John is making Bonnie happy, contented and safe. I have looked after people with advanced dementia. It must be very hard for John. But Bonnie is still Bonnie. Don't forget that songs connect each other and singing and dancing together breaks down the barrier of isolation experienced by those with dementia. It helps them socially as well as emotionally and often they sing words they cannot say and remember events from many years ago. Go out with Bonnie and enjoy the flowers and singing events. We do need though more Admiral Nurses in the UK. Molly Dee, North Slough.
- Molly Dee, North Slough, UK, 17/02/2009 23:05
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My wife has advanced Alzheimer’s for well over two years now; but being just ordinary people; nobody really cares; and there are 750.000 others in our boat etc.
Terry Pratchet and John Suchet; are not so bad off in reality, they have fame and fortune to help them to soften the blows etc; and they will get all the help needed from organizations, experts, and Social Services etc; unlike the majority of us out there fighting it all; on our own.
I live in Westminster; so it is not so much a post code advantage, or disadvantage etc; it is more about who you are etc.
Westminster City Council; do not even check to see if we are still alive or dead; yet they are fully aware of my wife’s condition etc.
My wife would surely be dead long ago; if it was not for myself keeping her alive and kicking
It is easy for the Government and Local Government to ignore the masses with these dementia problems; but it is harder to ignore the rich and famous etc; as the media publishes their facts; but not the real facts relating to everyone else etc.
I did have an Admiral Nurse once, being a resident of Westminster; and he was very nice etc; not that he actually helped us at all; the advice he gave me was largely hypothetical, with advice to contact other people along the chain of alleged help lines etc; and those people that he directed me to, eventually told me they cannot help me at all etc, for their own reasons what ever they be etc; so like most of us ordinary people going
- Mickyinlondon, london, 17/02/2009 19:32
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My father had Alzheimer's so I fully sympathise, especially as not fully inherited my chances increase with it in the family coupled with both my wife's parent having dementia, one Alzheimer's, the other a different form.
As to post code lottery. Either we have more local control of health services or we have centralised control of policy and procedures. We can't have both; local input and influence will mean locality (i.e. postcode) differences.
I have recently lived in Spain with each region and even province running it's own health service within broad national guidelines. Some advantages, some disadvantages. If we want everything to the same high standard, ie UK best practice cross the UK then we must be prepared to meet the tax bill.
- Richard, Cheltenham, 17/02/2009 17:38
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Thanks to John for sharing your loss with the rest of us. Maura and I are in our early 60's and she has Fronto Temporal Dementia,a terrible form of early onset dementia that has stolen her mind and left me totally hopeless, this is more of a curse than a disease. It is taking me so long to accept what is happening to us, every week a little more of her brain shuts down never to light up again. I have turned from a husband into a parent caring for her every need, the load is so heavy to cope with. Caring for a loved one with dementia is to have your heart broken every day, and you know that tomorrow can only bring more of the same. I wish I could meet John, our story is so similar. I can relate to his devastation and I wish him strength to cope with what needs to be done.
- Rob Detenon, romford, essex, 17/02/2009 16:56
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How brave of John to come forward,likewise Terry Pratchett. So come on the rest of you who are suffering in silence it is nothing to be ashamed of. The more publicity the more liklihood of some decent funding for this dreadful illness.
Remember years ago when no one spoke of the dreaded 'C' illness and look at the funding cancer now receives.
Please don't suffer in silence.
- Ann Marshall, Spain, 17/02/2009 13:53
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what a true gentleman good luck
- Terry Chambers, London, 17/02/2009 11:19
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