For many people, their late 40s is the time when they start thinking a little more about retirement – but unfortunately for one man, retirement didn’t come on his terms.
Peter Alexander was 49-years-old when he was diagnosed with dementia, or more specifically frontotemporal dementia (FTD) – the same condition that both Bruce Willis and Wendy Williams have developed in recent years.
Unfortunately, it meant that Peter, who lives in Northern Ireland with his wife Jill, had to leave his job and concentrate on his health.
What is frontotemporal dementia?
The Mayo Clinic explains that frontotemporal dementia (FTD) is ‘an umbrella term for a group of brain diseases that mainly affect the frontal and temporal lobes of the brain. These areas of the brain are associated with personality, behavior and language’.
“In frontotemporal dementia, parts of these lobes shrink, known as atrophy,” the outlet states. “Symptoms depend on which part of the brain is affected. Some people with frontotemporal dementia have changes in their personalities.
“They become socially inappropriate and may be impulsive or emotionally indifferent. Others lose the ability to properly use language.”
A subtle change to his work ethic was the first sign
It first came to Peter’s attention while he was working, and with just a subtle change to his work ethic, it became apparent – although he didn’t realize the issue was going to be dementia.
Speaking to BBC News, he revealed: “I was starting to struggle to meet deadlines [at work], which had never been a problem before, and during meetings, I wouldn’t be able to think of a word when speaking.”
So, he booked an appointment to see a neurologist and it was at that scan that the Englishman discovered the truth.
“I remember the date very clearly, it was 14 January 2018 when the results came back and the doctor said: ‘Peter, I have diagnosed you with having frontotemporal dementia’,” he recalled.
“I was basically told that it was no longer safe for me to work because I have diminished judgment and I was losing my filter, so it was a lot to adapt to.”
‘I’m still Peter’
Peter, who is now 56, went on to explain how he doesn’t want to be treated any differently, and that it’s ‘imperative that people actually see the person, see beyond the condition’.
“People think when you have dementia it’s only about forgetting things but it’s more complex, it can manifest in different ways,” he explained.
“Sadly for many people, the diagnosis can take an awful long time and that puts an enormous amount of pressure on the family unit.”
But he insisted that inside, he has not changed, adding: “I might not always be able to express it in the same way, but I’m still the same person I was, inside I’m still Peter.”
