How salsa music got dementia gran back to dancing
WHEN she’s not with her doting family, grandmother Gillian Haslam spends much of her time in her Cowbridge care home sitting alone, barely moving, and crying.
The 73-year-old was diagnosed with a severe form of dementia eight years ago which has left her withdrawn and unable to communicate properly.
But when her daughter Chrissy Arcieri decided to play some salsa music earlier this month, it triggered fond memories for the pensioner who broke out into dance.
“Before she had dementia she was always the first person on the dance floor and the last person to leave,” said Chrissy, who posted a video of the pair dancing together on Facebook.
“So when we put on the salsa music she sprang back into life. We danced together all afternoon and she had a smile on her face the whole time.
“She danced with my daughter as well and was teaching her all the moves, which was amazing to see.
“It was like having my old mum back.”
Gillian was diagnosed with dementia with lewy bodies (DLB), a form of the disease that shares symptoms with both Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s disease.
“She started having hallucinations. That was her first symptom,” said Chrissy, 38.
“She’d see double-decker aeroplanes or fluorescent green spiders in the corner of the room.
“We initially thought it was quite funny and we had a laugh and joke about it as she was still quite with it at that point.
“But things gradually got worse. She started getting persecution anxiety and not trusting people around her.
“She became obsessed with the news on TV and would be scared to leave her own home. She used to be such a sociable person.”
Chrissy, who lives in Llantwit Major, said her mum took a “sudden nosedive” in November 2016 and lost the ability to talk properly.
“It’s so frustrating for her as she knows what she wants to say but her brain can’t connect with her mouth.
“I thought she’d just given up on life.”
But after seeing the transformational change in her mum during their impromptu salsa session, Chrissy has now vowed to start her own dance classes for people with dementia.
After sharing her video and asking volunteers to get in touch with her she said she had been inundated with messages.
“I’ve been completely overwhelmed by the response,” she added.
“People from all over the Vale of Glamorgan, and further afield like Pencoed and Pontyclun, have got in touch and offered venues for free.
“But I have been surprised and shocked that there aren’t more support groups like this around.”
She said a lot of misconceptions still remain around dementia.
“A lot of people give up on people with dementia. They think they cannot remember anything which is just not true. Things can trigger their feelings and bring back those precious memories.”
Gillian, who is originally from Surrey, spent a large chunk of her life living in Italy before moving to Oxfordshire and later the Vale of Glamorgan.