Until last year, Nina Gunke kept her Alzheimer’s a secret from those around her. Now she has chosen to tell about the life-changing disease in the book “Before I forget”.
Popular actress Nina Gunke was only 52 years old when she began to suffer from inexplicable memory lapses. It would be thirteen years before the diagnosis came: she had Alzheimer’s disease, something she decided to talk about publicly last year.
IN P1 Morning Gunke explains why it feels important to be open about the diagnosis:
“There are so many who have it and so many who will have it, unfortunately. I think it’s important to talk about it, because I didn’t at first. I thought it was so shameful, somehow.”
Tells about the disease in new book
Today, Gunke, together with co-author Helene Arkhem, has written the book “Before I forget” to share his experiences with Alzheimer’s. In the book, she tells, among other things, how everyday life has been changed by the disease – things like getting lost in her own city and losing words during conversations and suddenly forgetting how to turn on the washing machine.
“That’s the hardest part, I think,” says Gunke. “But I at least try to ask for help when, for example, I’m out shopping, I didn’t do that before.”
The frustration she feels in such situations tells the actor that she is “working on”. This also applies to her acceptance of the diagnosis:
“I’m working on it. I have to do it, otherwise I feel so bad,” says Gunke.
When asked how she has behaved, she says:
“I have been kind to myself. To not have such great demands on me. And ask for help”.
Alzheimer’s disease
Alzheimer’s disease is the most common dementia – just over half of all people with dementia have Alzheimer’s disease.
Like other dementias, Alzheimer’s disease is caused by parts of the brain being affected and damaged. In Alzheimer’s disease, the nerve cells in the temporal and cerebral lobes are destroyed above all. It affects memory and how you perceive information from your senses.
The symptoms of Alzheimer’s disease develop slowly. Common symptoms of Alzheimer’s disease are:
You get problems with memory and that language is affected. It becomes more difficult to find words and express yourself. Thinking, concentration and perception of time can be affected.
You can feel anxious, depressed and find it difficult to take the initiative to do things. It becomes difficult to recognize oneself and to find oneself, first outdoors, but later also in one’s own home.
Gradually, it becomes more difficult to interpret and understand the surroundings, for example. It becomes more difficult to carry out practical tasks such as paying bills, planning grocery shopping, shopping, cooking or getting to places without help.
Source: The care guide
