Lockdown is terrible for people with dementia, they don’t understand why they can’t see their family
SIR TONY ROBINSON TALKS TO LUKE RIX-STANDING ABOUT HIS EXPERIENCE OF ALZHEIMER’S, HIS LONG CAREER AND COVID-19
HE MAY be best known for playing Baldrick in hit British sitcom Blackadder, Sir Tony Robinson but there us so much more to Sir Tony Robinson than that comedy character.
An avowed polymath, the actor-turned-presenter-turnedauthor-turned-activist has fronted everything from Time Team to a History of Britain, written children’s books, and spent several years on the National Executive Committee of the Labour Party.
After losing both his parents to dementia, Tony became an ambassador for Alzheimer’s Society, and during lockdown, he has been helping raise money for their emergency fund.
How did your relationship with Alzheimer’s Society begin?
“BOTH my parents had Alzheimer’s, so for about 15 years, Alzheimer’s was the main thing in my life, apart from my work and my kids. Towards the end of my mum’s life, I made a documentary called Me And My Mum around the issues surrounding dementia and care homes, and the reaction was extraordinary.
“I got so many heartfelt letters from carers and people with dementia, saying that their situation was ghastly, and something had to be done. So, when Alzheimer’s Society got in touch, I was more than pleased to be an ambassador.”
What advice would you give to someone whose relative is diagnosed with dementia?
“YOU have to look after yourself, and let other people help – you’re not going to be any good to anyone if you’re exhausted. I remember when my mum had problems, I thought I was the only person in the world dealing with them, and it made me feel useless and inept.
“One of the most important things Alzheimer’s Society has done is set up a support line for carers and people with dementia.”
Have things changed since you were dealing with dementia?
“WHEN my mum and dad had Alzheimer’s, I thought technological advances would solve everything by the time I was old enough to have dementia myself. It’s like with Covid – we all thought there would be a quick fix, and now people are saying we may never find a vaccine.
“Public understanding of dementia has improved, but in the long term, it’s very important we remember that the people who suffered most during Covid were the elderly.”
How difficult is it for someone with dementia during lockdown?
“IT’S a terrible time – how can you look through a window at your loved one, and say I’m not allowed in? People with dementia have a tendency to feel frightened and isolated, and now they actually are isolated, and they don’t understand why they can’t see their family.
“The people who look after our elderly are paid poorly and there’s a huge turnover of staff, so carers don’t have time to learn particular needs. Our care service needs to be integrated with our NHS – every care minister, Tory, Lib Dem and Labour, from the last 20 years has said so.”
How has lockdown treated you?
“I HAD probably my best year for a decade coming up, and in one day of telephone calls, all my future work disappeared. If that was just me, I’d have been mortified, but everyone is in the same boat.
“Three days before lockdown, my wife found a rescue dog at the RSPCA in Derby, so we picked up a westie called Holly Berry who has transformed our lives.
I’ve also been exercising – I’ve lost 22lbs – I’ve done a huge amount of gardening. I’m very privileged – I’m not looking after an elderly person, I have a small garden to potter around in, and I haven’t got three kids under the age of five. I’m not complacent about it – I feel grateful.”
You’ve always been political – how did you get into activism?
“I’VE always wanted to end my days having tried to make things better. I don’t want to lie on my death bed moaning about how bad things were, and realising I hadn’t done anything about it. I still believe, as I did when I was 13, that though we can do little on our own, together we can move mountains.”
Is there anything in particular you’re most proud of?
“OF course Blackadder, and being surrounded by those fantastically gifted and articulate young men, all of whom were a decade younger than me. Time Team was fun too, because although I knew about archaeology as an amateur, it was great to be planted in the middle of this discipline so difficult, most people can’t even spell it.”
Do you ever get tired of being asked about Blackadder?
“NO. I was 38 before it even started, and it transformed my life, my ability to get work, and people’s attitude towards me. And people didn’t think, ‘Oh my God, he plays Baldrick, he must be an a**e’ – they thought I must have gone to Oxford or Cambridge like my colleagues. I never did, so if anything, it went the
other way.”