The Trouble With Dad.

[KurriKurri]

Did anyone else see this? A programme made by David Baddiel about his father's dementia? His dad has a type of dementia called Pick's disease -which comes with its own set of difficult characteristics.

I found it very moving - and a difficult watch as my own dear Dad had alzheimer's for ten years before he died.
It showed some of the really hard stuff about dealing with someone you love who is disappearing in a sense, their personality changing and the person you loved getting further away. About how you have to deal with them sometimes saying unkind and hurtful things.

I was lucky enough to have a lovely relationship with my Dad when I was growing up so many happy memories of the person he was. But for David somehow it was harder as he had a difficult relationship with his Dad, and yet he was now seeing his Dad vulnerable and ill and his love for his father is clearly a complex thing, and sometimes it was hard for him to tell whether it was the disease talking when his dad said 'fuck off idiot' or whether it was coming from an older place.

There's a really moving moment near the end ( which I won't spoilt for anyone who hasn't watched and may want to)

I'd recommend watching on catch up - it's hard if you have a relative with dementia, but worth it. It's also worth a watch if you have a difficult relationship with your parents, as it brings up a lot of questions, about love and how we somehow always want to know our parents love us, even if they don't show it.