[ad_1]
By Carol Tanzer Miller HealthDay Reporter
health day
MONDAY, Feb. 1, 2021 (HealthDay News) — As Tony Bennett released his last album, his family revealed that the 1950s singer who became popular with younger audiences decades later has Alzheimer’s disease.
His wife Suzanne announced this in an interview AARP magazine. He said Bennett, 94, was content and happy and took the diagnosis calmly.
“But that’s because he doesn’t already understand,” she said. “He would ask me, ‘What is Alzheimer’s?’ I would explain, but he wouldn’t understand. He would say to me, ‘Susan, I feel good.’ That’s all he could process – physically he was feeling great. So, nothing changed in his life. Whatever changed, he wasn’t aware of it.”
But Bennett, who was still playing more than a hundred dates a year after marrying Susan in 2007 at the age of 80, noticed something was wrong during the 2015 tour, AARP informed of. He told Suzanne that he could not remember the names of the musicians on stage. She thought it was normal aging. He wanted to see a doctor.
Dr. Gayatri Devi, a neurologist at Lenox Hill Hospital in New York City, diagnosed Bennett in 2016. They told AARP that he has an “astonishingly versatile brain.”
“He’s still doing a lot of things at 94 that a lot of people without dementia can’t do,” Devi said. “She really is a symbol of hope for someone with a cognitive disorder.”
Devi attributed Bennett’s high functioning to his strong family support – particularly from his primary caregiver, Susan.
“I am overwhelmed by the level of devotion,” Devi said. AARP, “She also has very high expectations of him. I think her background as a teacher helps, but she also loves him very much. And he lives up to her expectations.”
According to the magazine, Bennett has so far been spared the disorientation that can cause Alzheimer’s patients to wander from home, as well as the episodes of panic, anger or depression that often accompany the disease. But according to the magazine, Bennett isn’t always sure where he is or what’s going on around him, and common objects like a fork can be startling to him.
According to the magazine, documentary footage of his work on the new album with his disciple Lady Gaga revealed a more muted presence than before. Bennett spoke rarely and when he did, he seemed to pause. Often he appeared lost or bewildered.
Gaga, who was aware of his condition, spoke to him in short, simple sentences, as recommended by Alzheimer’s experts. According to the magazine, at one point, she told Bennett that he felt great. “Thank you,” he replied.
Author John Colapinto wrote, “At such moments, the pain and sadness on Gaga’s face are clear.” AARP, “But never more than in an exceptionally poignant sequence in which Tony…sings a solo excerpt from a love song. Gaga looks up from behind her mic, her smile turning quivering, her eyes brimming, with Her face and sobs before she put her hand up.”
Bennett’s family kept it a secret for four years, but now with the release of her new album they’ve decided to break their silence. He said the disclosure is a way to remove some of the stigma associated with terminal illness.
“Being open about a diagnosis in such a public way takes a lot of courage and compassion,” said Beth Kallmeier, vice president of care and support for the Alzheimer’s Association.
He said, “Tony’s courageous transparency will help encourage important conversations about early detection and diagnosis while helping families access vital care and support services.”
And the need for support will only increase.
Alzheimer’s is the most common form of dementia in older people. More than 5 million Americans have it — a number projected to grow as baby boomers born between 1954 and 1964 grow up.
Source: AARP Magazine, February 2021; Beth Kallmeyer, MSW, vice president, care and support, Alzheimer’s Association
Copyright © 2024 health day, All rights reserved.
[ad_2]
Source link