On July 28th we reported that a character in Coronation Street was set to develop Alzheimer’s disease, well on Friday 21st of October we were proved right. Although our instincts were to assume that it would be one of the main characters in the street that would be given the storyline. It turns out that the story writers have shyed away from the main characters and have introduced a sideline character to use alzheimer’s disease in their story lines.
Eileen Grimshaw (Sue Cleaver) recently started dating Paul the fireman, when she was rescued by him after getting stuck in railing at the Underworld factory. Paul was spotted by Marcus in a supermarket with another woman , assuming it was Paul’s wife Marcus confesses to Eileen after Paul spends the night at Eileen’s and leaves early in the morning without saying goodbye. Devastated by what Marcus has told her she decides that Paul’s's wife should know the truth and goes to his house to confess that she and her husband have been having an affair. Paul’s wife answers the door and Eileen tells her all that has been going on. Eileen is greeted with an expressionless wife and when she speaks in a confused manner all becomes clear to Eileen that things aren’t what they seem. Paul then comes to the door and ushers his wife away from the front door and explains that Eileen should not just turn up, “Its as though she dosen’t care” Eileen says, baffled by the response she was give by Lesley, Pauls wife . “She can’t understand ” Paul tells Eileen. “Is there something wrong with her,” Eileen asks. “She has early onset Alzheimer’s ” confesses Paul. The conversation with Eileen then ends when his wife is calling him and Eileen says he should go to his wife.
Later we see Paul turn up at Coronation Street and pour his heart out to Eileen about what its like to be living with someone who is suffering from early onset dementia.
How far the story will run and how deep the story writers will explore the issue of Alzheimer’s will become apparent in the next few weeks but the story is sure to be brought into the mainstream with such a storyline on such a popular TV show.
It seems as though the subject is going to be dealt with in an honest and frank way because we hear from Paul what its like to live with someone with Alzheimer’s, the fact that Coronation Street is focusing on the early onset dementia brings it home that Alzheimer’s disease is not a just disease that affects the elderly but also affects younger people too.
My beautiful, dignified, elegant mother died last year. She had dementia.
It was distressing beyond belief to see her slowly reduced to a baby,
Coronation street are handling this storyline perfectly. Unless you live with someone with this horrendous condition you cannot fully understand the destruction it causes to the family.
I agree with everything you say.
I wish you well
I have watched to night’s episode and have to praise the producers for all the research they have obviously done. I care for my 96yr old mother who has a mixture of vascular and altheimers – the moodswings are horrendous and the portrail of Steve tonight thinking “Lesley doesn’t seem too bad to me” mirrors my situation. As you say unless you have experience of this nightmare/cruel illness no-one can imagine what it’s like. It’s a living hell