Alzheimer’s Society hopes Thatcher’s death will help tackle stigma of dementia

The Alzheimer’s Society is hoping the death of Margaret Thatcher will help raise the profile of dementia and help to tackle some of the stigma that surrounds it.

Margaret Thatcher died last week at the age of 87, following a long battle with vascular dementia, caused by brain damage due to a series of small strokes.

She was the longest-serving British Prime Minister of the 20th century and is the only woman to have held the office.

Margaret Thatcher was diagnosed with dementia at the age of 75.

Her daughter, Carol Thatcher, revealed in her book ‘A Swim-On Part in a Goldfish Bowl’ that her mother was suffering from dementia. She found out during a lunch with the former Conservative prime minister, when she got confused between Bosnia and the Falklands during a conversation about the war in the former Yugoslavia.

Carol Thatcher also wrote how she had to keep telling her mother that her husband, Denis Thatcher, was dead, as her dementia made her forget.

“I had to keep giving the bad news over and over again,” she said. "Every time it finally sank in that she had lost her husband of more than 50 years, she'd look at me sadly and say 'oh', as I struggled to compose myself.”

Jeremy Hughes, chief executive of the Alzheimer’s Society, said: “It was well known that Baroness Thatcher had dementia during the last years of her life. Dementia is caused by brain diseases; the most common are Alzheimer’s and vascular dementia. One in three people over 65 will develop dementia but for too long dementia has been kept in the shadows and families have been left to struggle alone.

“At this time we hope people will also reflect on the impact dementia can have on a person’s life. By speaking openly about the effects of the condition, we will begin to tackle some of the stigma that still surrounds dementia and ensure that everyone gets the support they deserve.”

Her struggle with dementia was shown in the film, The Iron Lady, starring Meryl Streep. It was criticised at the time by David Cameron and her friends as “disrespectful”.

Baroness Thatcher’s funeral is being held this Wednesday at St Paul’s Cathedral in London. She died at the Ritz Hotel after suffering from a stroke.