Grandad joins fight against Alzheimer’s
ARETIRED magistrate from Stockport who suffers from a condition that affects his memory is urging others to get involved in clinical research.
Neville Wood, 72, is himself taking part in a trial designed to explore the cause of Alzheimer’s disease after being diagnosed with Mild Cognitive Impairment (MCI) in 2009.
The condition causes a noticeable decline in cognitive abilities, including memory and thinking skills, and puts sufferers at increased risk of developing some form of dementia. The grandfather-of-three from Bredbury took the difficult decision to step down as chairman of the bench at Stockport Magistrates’ Court after noticing the symptoms.
He said: “I found myself in a situation where I was forgetting things. As a magistrate it was rather inconvenient, to say the least, when sometimes I would forget somebody’s name.
“A similar thing happens when I’m typing; I can’t think of how to spell the most simple words like the, us or ours. My fingertips will not hit the right keys.”
In spite of his condition Neville lives a full and happy life, but he often misplaces things around the house and forgets plans his wife told him about only the night before.
His involvement with the trial came via Join Dementia Research, an initiative developed by the National Institute for Health Research and delivered in partnership with Alzheimer’s Research UK and the Alzheimer’s Society.
He has participated in three different dementia research studies, two of which were observational and the third – which he is halfway through – is interventional.
It involves a nurse visiting his home once a week to deliver a subcutaneous injection as well as regular hospital appointments. The purpose is to investigate whether a drug called Etanercept can reduce inflammation in the brain.
Neville said: “My mother’s death certificate had Alzheimer’s written on it and my father died from prostate cancer. Those are two things I’ve always worried about having myself.
“I feel I am doing something which may, at some time in the future, stop people suffering.”
To find out more visit ukctg.nihr.ac.uk.