Neil Kinnock’s children reveal toll of Alzheimer’s after mother Glenys, 78, was diagnosed

By William On Sep 25, 2022

The children of former Labor leader Lord Neil Kinnock have shared the heartbreaking toll of ‘losing a little bit of the person you love every day’ in a harrowing honest account of how Alzheimer’s disease has affected their mother Glenys.

Rachel, 51, and Stephen Kinnock, 52, have described the “slow grief” of seeing their mother’s decline since she got the news five years ago, in a column for The Sunday Times.

The 78-year-old was Member of the European Parliament for Wales from 1994 to 2009 and under Gordon Brown served briefly as Secretary of State for Europe before becoming Minister of State for Africa and the United Nations.

The children of former Labor leader Lord Neil Kinnock have shared the heartbreaking toll of how Alzheimer’s disease has affected their mother Glenys. Pictured: The pair seen in 2019

But from a powerful career in politics and as the supportive wife of Neil, who led the Labor Party from 1983 to 1992, Baroness Kinnock was left “mortified” as her memory gradually began to slip.

Her children describe how the enthusiastic baker was left behind unable to make a birthday cake for her grandchildren, something she was “particularly proud” of being able to do for them.

They also observe how Neil, 80, her loving husband of 55, may not be the one with the disease, but still be the one who “suffers” at the sight of Glenys’ decline.

Much of her personality, they say, remains the sassy, mischievous and fun side of their adored mother.

But they too acknowledge how Alzheimer’s has robbed them of the woman they once knew.

They write: ‘Our family is witnessing the daily cruelty of this disease, but the most painful thing is how much we miss it.

“She’s in the same room, but we can’t talk to her or reach her.

“She’s gone, but she’s there.”

Neil and Glenys, pictured with their children Rachel and Stephen, candidly about the ‘everyday cruelty’ of Alzheimer’s disease, which has plagued their mother since 2017

In an interview with Talk TV in May, Lord Kinnock said the hardest thing about being married to someone with dementia is ‘knowing that the change will continue and they will very gradually stop being the person they were’. The independent reports.

He added: “She’s been supporting me for 50 years and I’ve been helping her for five years, so I still have a way to catch up with her.

“But it doesn’t work that way, as people dealing with the reality of dementia will tell you.”

He revealed that the situation is challenging, but he is dealing with it “out of love,” acknowledging that he and his wife were lucky to have family support and the ability to pay carers for up to five hours a day.

For others without these resources, the disease ‘can be quite devastating’.

WHAT IS DEMENTIA? THE KILLER DISEASE THAT DEPRIVES SUFFERING OF THEIR MEMORIES

A GLOBAL CARE

Dementia is an umbrella term used to describe a range of progressive neurological disorders (affecting the brain) that affect memory, thinking, and behavior.

There are many different forms of dementia, with Alzheimer’s disease being the most common.

Some people may have a combination of dementias.

Regardless of which type is diagnosed, each person will experience their dementia in their own unique way.

Dementia is a global problem, but it is most often seen in wealthier countries, where people are likely to live very old.

HOW MANY PEOPLE ARE INVOLVED?

The Alzheimer’s Society reports that there are more than 850,000 people living with dementia in the UK today, more than 500,000 of whom have Alzheimer’s disease.

It is estimated that the number of people with dementia in the UK will rise to over 1 million by 2025.

There are an estimated 5.5 million Alzheimer’s patients in the US. A similar percentage increase is expected in the coming years.

As a person gets older, so does the risk of developing dementia.

Diagnoses are improving, but it is believed that many people with dementia still remain undiagnosed.

IS THERE A CURE?

Currently, there is no cure for dementia.

But new drugs can slow progression, and the sooner it’s noticed, the more effective treatments are.

Source: Alzheimer’s Society

The politician said his wife was first diagnosed after a family vacation to Kefalonia in 2016.

“I noticed to a degree that I hadn’t noticed before, she was slipping words, showing a degree of confusion, which could be attributed to us being in a strange environment and so on.”

But after her son-in-law Stuart noticed her confusion, they decided to seek medical advice.

She was formally diagnosed with Alzheimer’s in February 2017.

According to NHS England, more than 850,000 people in the UK have dementia, and this number is expected to rise to well over a million by 2025.

Lord Kinnock, pictured this month, said the hardest part is ‘knowing that the change will continue and that, very gradually, they will stop being the person they were’