Ruth Langsford has shared the symptoms she's been suffering that leave her concerned she could develop dementia.
The 65-year-old star lost her father, Dennis, to complications from the condition in 2012. Her 94-year-old mother, Joan, is also currently living with Alzheimer's disease.
For midlife women, it's often difficult to tell whether memory issues signal dementia, or whether they could be related to symptoms of the menopause and other life stressors.
In conversation with The Mirror, Ruth says that with both parents being diagnosed with the condition, she worries about a genetic link "literally all the time".
"If I ever have a senior moment where I go, ‘what’s her name again?’, somebody that I know quite well, and I have a complete and utter blank, it really frightens me," she shares.
Elaborating on her concerns over a potential genetic connection, Ruth explains, "I'm 65 now, my dad was officially diagnosed when he was 72. But looking back on it, we think he was displaying signs, we just didn't know what they were – but he was in his late 60s and I’m 65."
As there is currently no cure for Alzheimer's or dementia, Ruth isn't interested in having tests to find out whether she carries the gene that could increase the risk of developing the condition.
She says, "They all say, ‘if there was a test, would you take it?’ I go, 'why? What’s the point unless there’s a cure?'" Ruth adds, "If I could take a test, and they said, 'if you take the test, we could stop it happening', 100% I would take the test, but they can’t, and I know what's ahead."
When the fears really strike, the presenter tries to calm down by distracting herself with positive thoughts that her health is absolutely fine. "I just, I tell myself, 'no, no, it's just because you're busy, or mind’s busy,'" she shares of the times where her memory falters.
According to the Alzheimer's Association, the genetic links when it comes to developing the condition are unsurprisingly complicated.
More than 100 risk genes thought to increase susceptibility for developing late-onset Alzheimer's, the most common form of the disease, have been identified.
Although such risk genes increase the likelihood of developing a disease, they aren't a guarantee that it will happen.
While family history is therefore not necessary for somebody to develop Alzheimer's, both inherited and lifestyle factors can have risks - sleep, smoking habits, high blood pressure, and conditions such as diabetes can increase chances of developing the condition.
Ruth shared the measures she takes to keep her brain healthy. She says, "I do crosswords and things like that. And I'm very active because I'm still very busy with work, they say that helps."
