A mom-of-two has shared the devastating effects of dementia on her 65-year-old mom, who cannot remember meeting her grandchildren whenever she sees them.
For the last three years, Jade Mead from Perth, Australia, has been trying to cope with her mom Josie's dementia diagnosis. While she remains patient and positive most days, she admits that it is difficult when Josie doesn't recognize her own grandchildren, who she has met numerous times.
When Josie sees her grandchildren, she thinks it's "a new meeting every time," which is devastating for her young daughter to witness. Mead told Newsweek that "it's daunting and can be emotionally draining" at times, but the family tries to "focus on the positive" throughout.
"It's nice to see how excited mum is every time she sees them," Mead said. "She's doing really well considering the condition. It's funny because whenever she asks me things, and I remind her that she forgets because she has dementia, she is always so calm about it. She doesn't get angry thankfully."
While Josie was diagnosed with dementia at the age of 62, the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) suggests that most cases affect those aged 65 or over.
There are multiple types of dementia, with the most common type being Alzheimer's disease. Alzheimer's accounts for 60 to 80 percent of cases and is caused by specific changes in the brain. Around 10 percent of cases are vascular dementia, which is often linked to a stroke or health complication that restrict blood flow to the brain.
There are various symptoms of dementia, and it may begin with misplacing objects, like a set of keys, or forgetting the word for something, but as the disease progresses it begins to take more away from the individual. Their memory continues to fade over time, making communication harder, everyday tasks might suddenly seem near impossible and even loved ones may not be recognized.
Sadly, there is no known cure for dementia, but the CDC encourages anyone who thinks a loved one is displaying signs of the disease to seek a medical assessment.
Mead, a fitness coach, posted the clip of her mom seeing her three-year-old and seven-week-old grandchildren in the back of her car on June 14. In just a day, the video has generated more than 2 million views and over 185,000 likes.
The caption on the video reads: "dementia is a horrible disease, but I try to focus on the positives and it's nice seeing how delighted my mum is every time."
Since Mead posted the video (@jademead01) on June 14, she has been amazed by the response she's received online.
Mead told Newsweek: "I am completely overwhelmed by the amount of people who have seen the video and commented that they can relate because they have a loved one with the same disease. The amount of love and support on the post, from people all over the world, has been so heartwarming.
Dementia is an awful disease and hopefully one day there will be a cure."
More than 1,700 TikTokers have already commented on the video to share their support for Mead and her family.
One comment on the post reads: "Watching her fall in love again."
Another person said: "I can't even comprehend how hard this is for you, but you handled it so beautifully."
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