ALZHEIMER’S disease left 82-year-old Sylvia Hatzer unable to recognise her son and on the brink of being sectioned.

But a new diet – rich in blueberries and walnuts – has helped her undergo a dramatic improvement.

She said: “We’ve managed to get through it and turn things around.”

Because rates of dementia are far lower in Mediterranean countries, her lawyer son Mark, 50, looked to the eating habits in that region.

Widow Sylvia’s new diet includes plenty of fruit and veg – including strawberries and broccoli – Brazil nuts and sunflower seeds.

Mum and son made other steps together such as doing jigsaws.

Sylvia also has a pedalling device so she can exercise in her chair and she socialises with family and friends to keep her stimulated.

Mark said: “It wasn’t an overnight miracle but after a couple of months she began remembering things like birthdays and was becoming her old self again – more alert, more engaged. For an 82-yearold she does very well. She looks 10 years younger and if you met her you would not know she has gone through all this.”

Former telephonist Sylvia was diagnosed with the disease in 2016. She was taken to hospital months later after a seizure and fall. It was then she did not recognise Mark, whose brother and dad had died.

Mark said: “For her to not know who I was was devastating. I despaired and never felt so alone as I had no other family to turn to.”

Medics asked if Sylvia could be sectioned as she had phoned police because she thought the nurses had kidnapped her.

In the end, she did not need to be sectioned but it was two months before it was considered safe for her to be discharged.

One year later, and Sylvia carries out much of her own care. And she is still at her home in Prestwich, Greater Manchester.

Sue Clarke, from The Alzheimer’s Society, said: “It’s fantastic that Sylvia and Mark have taken action to create a personal plan that works well for her dementia diagnosis.”

She added there is “no cure or way of preventing the progression” of the condition, but exercise and diet can help to manage it better.