A new book explores the impact Alzheimer’s disease had on a husband and wife from Enfield

Valerie and Jack Bingham both died from Alzheimer’s disease

During Dementia Awareness Week later this month an event in Enfield Town will explore the impact of the disease – and hear from the son of an Enfield couple who both died from Alzheimer’s.

Miles Bingham lost first his father, Jack, and then his mother, Valerie, having to watch their mental decline until the point they did not recognise him.

Valerie was a writer and, after she passed, Miles managed to get one of her manuscripts published, telling her story of growing up during the Second World War in Bush Hill Park.

Now, he has helped to finish another book started by his mother – Valerie’s account of Jack’s battle with Alzheimer’s, before she herself suffered a similar fate around a decade later.

On Wednesday, 20th May, Miles will be speaking at Enfield Town Library as part of the weekly ‘Coffee and Chat’ events held from 10am. Next week’s event will be hosted by Age UK Enfield as part of Dementia Prevention UK’s programme for Dementia Awareness Week.

Miles explains: “Both of my parents lived with Alzheimer’s, and they were of a generation that trusted the white coats, took the tablets and did what they were told – but nothing could stop the unstoppable disease.

“After losing them, I realised I couldn’t simply hope for a different outcome. I’ve made changes to my lifestyle and habits so I don’t follow the same path, and I’m looking forward to sharing that journey at Enfield Library.”

Both Valerie and Jack donated their brains to medical research and the new book about their journeys with Alzheimer’s, titled Deadheaded, is co-authored by Miles and Valerie.

It’s described as: “A cross-generational memoir, Deadheaded weaves together a mother’s original writing on Alzheimer’s and her son’s contemporary reflections. This Alzheimer’s memoir is honest, raw, and unexpectedly funny, exploring what dementia takes, what it leaves behind, and how one family transformed their experience of loss into a powerful legacy.”

The book contains the following haunting passage: “Time no longer had any meaning for Jack: at his latest memory test, he couldn’t even identify the season we were in, although we’d only just trudged through four inches of snow to get there. Things hit a new low when he also forgot what country we lived in, something I hadn’t thought possible. When the doctor prompted him, saying it began with an ‘E’, I even found myself mouthing the answer as he shaped the first letter before he replied ‘Enfield’.”

Next Wednesday’s event is not ticketed and is open to anyone with an interest in the book and/or understanding more about the impact of dementia and how best to avoid the disease.

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