2014年10月16日 星期四

Cameron reveals pain of seeing Thatcher 'slip away' as she succumbed to dementia


  • PM says he saw the ex Tory leader deteriorate from 'height of her powers'
  • Lady Thatcher's struggle with dementia portrayed in 'The Iron Lady'
  • Cameron said all Cabinet ministers now signed up as 'dementia friends'


  • David Cameron has spoken about the pain of seeing Baroness Thatcher ‘slip away’ as she succumbed to dementia.

    The Prime Minister said it had been hard for him to see her deteriorate from being at the ‘height of her powers’ to falling victim to the disease.

    He revealed that every member of the Cabinet signed up yesterday morning to become ‘dementia friends’ – meaning they will receive training in how to deal with patients with the condition.

    David Cameron posed with the former Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher on the doorstep of 10 Downing Street in London in 2010
    David Cameron posed with the former Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher on the doorstep of 10 Downing Street in London in 2010

    Mr Cameron said the poor standards of care for thousands of sufferers – uncovered by the Care Quality Commission earlier this week – was ‘unacceptable’.
    And he revealed he was worried he might develop dementia in later life.

    Lady Thatcher died last year after long battle against dementia; a fight which was vividly brought to the screen by Meryl Streep in The Iron Lady.

    Speaking to BBC Radio Oxford, Mr Cameron said: ‘It was very noticeable and obviously having seen her at the height of her powers when I started working for the Conservative Party back in 1988, you see what an effect this has on someone.
    ‘I'm actually sitting in Number 10 Downing street in what's called the Thatcher Room, named by Gordon Brown, there's a picture of her staring at me from the wall as we speak which is slightly disconcerting.

    ‘I've seen that with the parents of friends as well - one minute at the height of their powers, brilliant intellect and brains - then suddenly they start to slip away.’


    Source: the UK Mail

    沒有留言: