A military hero who served his country all over the world for more than two decades is battling dementia after being diagnosed at just 50.
Three years on, Ian Burton now faces a daily battle to hang on to his treasured memories.
But he has been given a huge lift after serving soldiers visited the Stretton veteran to help him recall his past glories.
Ian had only been retired for six years before he was diagnosed with a rare condition called behavioural variant fronto-temporal dementia in 2014.
The condition can bring about changes in behaviour and personality. As it progresses, it can affect the person’s memory and ability to speak.
So bosses at the Rocester care home where Ian now lives invited personnel from the 22 Signal Regiment to help him conjure memories of his glittering military career.
Ian's wife, Wendy, travels 40 miles each time to see her husband at Barrowhill Hall care home's Churnet Lodge unit.
She said: "Ian loved his Army career. He joined at the age of 21 and he served with the Signals, working all over the world, including the Falkland Islands and Iraq.
"Because it’s not that long ago since he left, the soldiers who came to Churnet Lodge remembered some of the people he served with and they loved looking at his old photographs.
"Ian doesn’t have much speech now but you could see how engaged and how happy he was that they were there."
Ian completed 22 years of service and then became a technical support worker for Derbyshire Police, but signs of his condition began to emerge as he approached his 50th birthday.
Wendy said: "He was one of their best staff, but the nature of his type of dementia meant he lost the ability to plan and carry out tasks as he had been doing. He had to medically retire two years ago."
Staff Sergeant David Tuck, Captain Becky Parkinson and Corporal Patrick Hearne visited Churnet Lodge to talk to residents who served in the Navy, RAF and Army.
Staff Sgt Tuck had even restored and remounted Ian's precious medals, because the ribbons were showing some wear.
Staff Sergeant Tuck said: "It was a pleasure and an honour to meet Ian and to spend time with him and the other residents.
"Since our visit, we’ve been able to identify and contact a number of people who remember Ian and they are making plans to visit him."
Val Barnes, the activities co-ordinator at the home, said; "Active reminiscence is so important for people with dementia.
"Ian clearly enjoyed the soldiers being here and the effects of their visit stayed with him all weekend. It had a huge impact on many of our other residents, too."
Churnet Lodge, which celebrated its first anniversary on Friday, November 17, says it is "one of the few care homes in the area which is able to cater for people with young onset dementia."
Wendy said: "I spent a year trying to find somewhere suitable for him and when I first came to Barrowhill Hall the footings of Churnet Lodge were just going down.
"It feels like home to him and to me – so many of the colours on the walls are the same; the ornaments.
"Organising visits like this shows how much care they put into making life meaningful for Ian and everyone else who lives here, and I can’t wait to see how rediscovering his friends and colleagues will benefit him."
What is behavioural variant fronto-temporal dementia?
Fronto-temporal dementia is a rare form of the condition and affects the frontal lobes of the brain.
According to early-onset dementia charity Young Dementia UK, the behavioural variant of the condition is the most common type of fronto-temporal dementia.
It leads to alterations in complex thinking, personality and behaviour.
Information published by the charity shows typical symptoms can include:
- Behavioural disinhibition - disinhibition is the hallmark feature of bvFTD and can manifest as socially inappropriate behaviour (eg inappropriately approaching or touching strangers), loss of manners or decorum (eg violation of personal space, rude or offensive remarks), or impulsive, rash or careless actions (eg reckless buying or sellling).
- Apathy / inertia - poeple with bvFTD may exhibit a general loss of interest, drive or motivation. In extreme cases, they may need prompts to initiate or continue basic activities (eg bathing, dressing).
- Loss of empathy - people with bvFTD may seem emotionally cold or detached and can exhibit an overt disregard for others pain or distress.
- Perseverative / compulsive behaviours - these can range from simple repetitive behaviours such as tapping, scratching or picking, to complex compulsive behaviours such ordering, cleaning or collecting.
- Changes in eating habits - dietary changes can range from altered food preferences or 'food fads' (eg only eating a particular type of food) to indiscriminate binge eating and weight gain.
- Executive dysfunction - due to cell loss in their frontal lobes, people with bvFTD exhibit deficits in complex thinking or 'executive functions' such as planning, organising, mental flexibility and generation of ideas.
