Sudden Dementia Leaves Family in Shock

Asahi Shimbun Morning Edition, June 12, 1999

An elderly housewife, who had gone out for her usual farm work, found herself unable to remember the way home by evening. She wandered through the night and was taken in by the police, but she could not even recall her husband's name. This was due to a pathological change that had started in the medial temporal lobe and spread to the parietal lobe. The wisdom she had accumulated over more than half a century was beginning to crumble at its foundation.

The expression of shock on her husband's face when she was diagnosed with Alzheimer's disease at a "memory disorder clinic" remains unforgettable.

He quit his job to devote himself to her care. They revisited the place of their honeymoon, kept a diary, and tried every possible form of care—feeding her large amounts of lecithin in combination with physostigmine, among other things. However, she eventually began talking to her reflection in the mirror as if it were another person.

Pathological dementia, which far exceeds the normal decline in brain function due to aging, affects approximately one in every 20 to 25 people over the age of 65.

The film Yukie (1997), directed by Hisako Matsui, is based on Haruhiko Yoshimeki’s Akutagawa Prize-winning novel Sekiryō Kōya. It tells the story of Yukie, a woman who worked as a nurse during the Korean War, married an American soldier, and left her homeland almost in exile. She spent 40 years living in Baton Rouge, Louisiana.

With both sons grown and independent, Yukie lived happily with her kind husband—until one day, dementia set in. She could not remember her sons' names. She would say she was making coffee but bring out milk instead. At times, she would suddenly erupt in anger in Japanese. She would wander outside and get lost.

Her husband refused to admit her to a hospital or care facility, opting instead for home care with the help of caregivers. In a standout performance, Mitsuko Baisho, who played Yukie, portrayed a scene where she asks her husband to lock the door so she would not go outside and get lost while he was at work.

As the present and future fade away, emotional memories resurface, and an attachment to one’s homeland grows stronger. The film beautifully contrasts the spring scenery of Hagi City in Yamaguchi Prefecture with the autumn landscapes of Baton Rouge.

Families who care for loved ones with dementia experience deep sorrow, but they too need support to avoid breaking down. The development of anti-dementia drugs is desperately needed.