1 in 6 adults may have an eating issue
WATCHING husband Mick sing on stage at the London Coliseum, Karen Bosner is overcome with emotion.
As he blasts out a perfect performance, it is hard to believe Mick sometimes struggles to string a sentence together.
Although just 54, he is suffering from dementia – and has been told he may only live to 60.
So last year he and Karen devised a bucket list of activities to create lasting memories and help Mick live life to the full.
The first of those dreams was to sing on a famous stage.
Now that has become a reality thanks to Vicky McClure’s Dementia Choir at Christmas, to be screened tonight on BBC One.
And it meant Mick also got to perform a surprise song alongside Vicky’s Line of Duty co-star Adrian Dunbar, as well as a member of the English National Opera.
The dad-of-one said: “It was the best experience of my life… I was just shocked.”
Karen, who watched with the couple’s daughter Hannah, 16, said: “Mick’s always loved singing.
“We couldn’t have wished for a better day for creating a memory.
SPECIAL
“Obviously there was only me and Hannah in the audience but it’s been really special.
“Vicky came out and said, ‘ This performance is just for you two’. And Mick said he was dedicating it to me and Hannah, so it was very emotional.
“Mick struggles with words in conversation but can remember every word to every song.”
The performance was the highlight of a difficult year for the Nottinghamshire family.
Karen, an executive business leader for an academy trust, said: “It means we’ve done something this year. To get one thing ticked off his list while we still can has been amazing.
“It was probably one of the best days of my life, let alone Mick’s.”
Karen says Mick’s condition is progressing at the rate doctors predicted, but has been made worse by lockdown.
She said: “I think it’s probably quickened up because of the lack of stimulation
– he’s not an inside person, he’s an outside person. I’ve been working all the time, and during the first lockdown we weren’t allowed carers, so everything stopped. We weren’t allowed out, we weren’t allowed for anybody to come in.”
Mick was diagnosed nearly
three years ago. Karen said: “About five years ago I started noticing things. Mick was forgetting things and struggling at work.
“I told him to go to a doctor and he passed the
Mick with Karen and Hannah at the Coliseum
Vicky saw gran die of illness
KAREN BOSNER ON HOW CHOIR HAS HELPED THE WHOLE FAMILY TO COPE m memory test with flying c colours, there didn’t seem to b be any issues. But about a y year late later he had two severe g grand mal m seizures, which put him m in hospital. ho
“They TThey said sai it was the start of epilepsy epile epsy bu but I said something more e is happening hap here, so I pushed pushe ed and pushed p for more tests. “It took from fr August 2017 to Januar January ry 2018 to get a diagnosis.” Wh While hile she had already steeled hersel herself, lf, it was still a shock.
Kar Karen ren said: “It was devastating to know your hu husband has a disease that wwill will shor shorten his life.
“Eve “Everything erythin goes through your head – how h he’s going to cope, how we’re going ggoing to cope as a family. “It turns t yo your life upside down. Peopl People e don’t know what goes on
HANDS OF HOPE behind closed doors with dementia.” Joining the dementia choir two years ago transformed Mick’s experience with the illness.
Vicky has experience of dementia as her gran was diagnosed with it at 75. She died in 2015.
Karen said: “It’s a very tight-knit group. I was talking to Vicky last night and we can’t imagine not having each other in our lives now.
“We’ve had a few members pass away this year unfortunately. There were around 20 to start with and that’s gradually got less and less.
“Vicky’s always been there for everybody. Without the choir, Mick would be lost, I think.”
The couple now hope to focus on the rest of Mick’s list.
Karen added: “He doesn’t want anything extravagant, he just wants to relive things he’s done in the past – to go abseiling, shark fishing and to go on a river cruise. It’s not a tour of the world or anything like that. We wanted to make it realistic.
“Because of Covid I’d say we’ve lost six months. Hopefully we can get something sorted in the spring.”
Vicky said: “The Christmas special looks at how Our Dementia Choir have dealt with this year.
“They speak with such honesty, finding humour when it’s needed most. They’re determined to continue giving people hope – get ready to sing along.”
■ Vicky McClure: Dementia Choir at Christmas, BBC One, tonight, 7.30pm ■ justgiving.com/ourdementiachoir ■ ourdementiachoir.com/donate
FEAR Body image an issue
ONE in six adults in England has a suspected eating disorder, shock research has revealed.
The rate has almost doubled since 2007 – and experts warn the country could be heading for an “eating disorder crisis”.
They fear the jump could be due to rising obesity and mental illness.
The Health Survey for England found under-35s most likely to be suffering, with rates as high as 28% in women aged 16-24 and 19% of men aged 25-34.
Dr Agnes Ayton, of the Royal College of Psychiatrists, said: “These figures point to an eating disorders crisis.” She added that “issues around body image, obesity and the role of social media” need to be investigated.
It’s a tight-knit group, Vicky has always been there for everybody. Without the choir, Mick would be lost