CORONATION Street has revealed a series of devastating flashbacks for Debbie Webster as she discovers she may have young onset dementia.
The businesswoman – who is played by actress Sue Devaney in the ITV soap – has been suffering from memory loss and changes in personality recently.
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Viewers have seen as Debbie as spaced out in conversations, be found collapsed in an alleyway and forget things that have happened to her.
In today’s episode the entire first part was Debbie’s appointment with the doctor to find out what would wrong.
“I’m scared,” she told the doctor as he ran her through her symptoms.
He told her that it sounded like she’d had a TIA [transient ischaemic attacks] – essentially a mini stroke.
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And after getting more information from her – he delivered his worrying verdict.
He said: “I’m not in a position to make a concrete diagnosis hence the referral.
“My concern is that the body of your symptoms, together with the TIA, might indicate the early onset of dementia.”
Debbie was devastated – but decided to keep the news a secret until she knew more.
Actress Sue recently opened up about the storyline explaining where Debbie’s head is at.
“Debbie starts losing things, like her purse, which she later finds in the fridge,” she said.
“She’s behaving erratically and shouting a lot, even at her loved ones, in a way that feels out of control.
“But I think the biggest thing, when I first read the script, was the TIAs [transient ischaemic attacks]. She has these mini-strokes, falls over, and tries to ignore it.”
She added: “It’s when Debbie sees a specialist that she realises something isn’t right because her thinking starts to change.
“She probably thinks it’s just the menopause, being of a certain age. That is until she talks to the specialist.
Is it ageing or dementia?
Dementia – the most common form of which is Alzheimer’s – comes on slowly over time.
As the disease progresses, symptoms can become more severe.
But at the beginning, the symptoms can be subtle or mistaken for normal memory issues related to ageing.
The US National Institute on Aging gives some examples of what is considered normal forgetfulness in old age, and dementia disease.
You can refer to these above.
For example, it is normal for an ageing person to forget which word to use from time-to-time, but difficulting having conversation would be more indicative of dementia.
Katie Puckering, Head of Alzheimer’s Research UK’s Information Services team, previously told The Sun: “We quite commonly as humans put our car keys somewhere out of the ordinary and it takes longer for us to find them.
“As you get older, it takes longer for you to recall, or you really have to think; What was I doing? Where was I? What distracted me? Was it that I had to let the dog out? And then you find the keys by the back door.
“That process of retrieving the information is just a bit slower in people as they age.
“In dementia, someone may not be able to recall that information and what they did when they came into the house.
“What may also happen is they might put it somewhere it really doesn’t belong. For example, rather than putting the milk back in the fridge, they put the kettle in the fridge.”
“But I think Debbie is in denial and wants to pretend everything is alright until it’s not. She’s a protector of her family, even though she doesn’t have children. She doesn’t want to worry them. It’s like her world is being exploded.
“Also, people will treat you differently. She wants people to see her as the Debbie they know, the one who is in control and running a business. She doesn’t want them to see her as someone else.”
