James raises a very important question about those who may have developed dementia during COVID.

Good afternoon. This is James.

Thank you for doing the job you do.

I was thinking, when COVID-19 come along, dementia didn’t stop happening, and yet there’s not much about it in the newspapers or other sort of media. So I’m just wondering, are there people driving about or operating heavy machinery, and it’s not really suitable now. As far as I know, nobody’s diagnosing anybody, so what’s happening to these people that are having perplexing problems and they don’t know what’s wrong. I mean, that’s what happened to me. Strange things are happening, you haven’t a clue what was going on in the world or round about you.

I thought about a DIY – I know it’s not perfect, but – on the computers, is there any sort of test that can give someone an indication that they might have a problem.

I think there’s also now – here’s another wee thing, I sometimes read people talking about inappropriate terms for people with dementia, like “sufferers”, and “demented”. Dementia’s actually a separate condition, and doctors especially should know that. In 2001 I wrote an article about that. I sent it to every newspaper in Britain over the years, if I saw an article with these terms in it. For nineteen years I never got an acknowledgement, not even a reply. In January or February 2020, just before the lockdown, I got one reply. First in nineteen years. So, dementia seems to be taking a back seat, it’s just not happening. It’s been swept under the carpet.

Bye bye.