After being diagnosed with Alzheimer鈥檚, 81-year-old Ron Robert decided to enroll in university as a personal experiment to see if education could keep the chronic neurodegenerative disease at bay.
鈥淚 thought when I was given this diagnosis, I got to change my lifestyle; I鈥檝e got to do something about this thing,鈥� Robert told 麻豆影视. 鈥淚 mean, I鈥檓 not just going to sit on my butt and let my brain turn to mush.鈥�
Robert is now a first-year undergraduate student at King鈥檚 University College in London, Ont., where he takes classes twice a week in political science and disability studies. He is also one of the faces of the Alzheimer Society of Canada鈥檚 to mark Alzheimer鈥檚 Awareness Month in January. By 鈥渟hining a light on the facts about people living with Alzheimer's and other forms of dementia,鈥� the campaign aims to challenge 鈥渕isconceptions so that the stigma that surrounds the disease can be reduced.鈥�
According to the society, more than half a million Canadians are living with dementia. In less than 15 years, moreover, that number is expected to double to nearly one million.
鈥淭oo many people, they get diagnosed with something like Alzheimer鈥檚 and they think somehow it鈥檚 the end,鈥� Robert said. 鈥淲ell, it鈥檚 not an end -- it鈥檚 just a new beginning. It鈥檚 something you鈥檝e got to work at. And actually, it鈥檚 a good thing because I was getting quite bored being retired! So this is all a new challenge for me.鈥�
鈥榊ou don鈥檛 look like you have Alzheimer鈥檚!鈥�
At school, Robert has made no secret of his diagnosis with his peers, many of whom are young enough to be his grandchildren. A common response, he says, is 鈥淲ell, you don鈥檛 look like you have Alzheimer鈥檚!鈥�
鈥淚 basically say I鈥檓 here to keep it at bay and they all think it鈥檚 wonderful,鈥� Robert added. 鈥淭hey鈥檙e so receptive to it. They sort of look a bit sad at first, but then after I talk to them for a little bit, then they鈥檙e all for it.鈥�
After a long career as both a political journalist and an aide to former Prime Minister Pierre Trudeau, Robert鈥檚 diagnosis at age 78 came as a shock -- even though two of his siblings both died with the disease.
鈥淚 should have been aware, but I was in denial just like so many other Canadians are,鈥� Robert said. 鈥淲e don鈥檛 think that we鈥檙e going to get it.鈥�
Even how the diagnosis was delivered was jarring.
鈥淎ll they told me was, number one, you have Alzheimer鈥檚, number two, you鈥檝e lost your (driver鈥檚) licence and (the) conversation was over,鈥� Robert recalled. 鈥淪o you鈥檙e on your own basically and that, by the way, I鈥檝e heard that repeated many times by people that have Alzheimer鈥檚.鈥�
So, Robert decided to take matters into his own hands. With no effective medication to stop Alzheimer鈥檚, Robert instead thought that academic assignments and deadlines would help keep his mind sharp. The strategy seems to be working.
鈥淚 feel really good,鈥� he said. 鈥淭he short-term memory is terrible; long-term memory has improved. I feel better mentally, and I think that鈥檚 a big important part too. You鈥檝e got to be upbeat.鈥�
And if Robert gets disorientated or lost on the sprawling Southwestern Ontario university campus, his peers always put him back on track.
鈥淥ne or two or three of them can come over and say, 鈥楢re you OK? Can we help you?鈥欌�� Robert said. 鈥淵ou know, that kind of caring means a lot to people like me.鈥�
鈥楯ust like any other student鈥�
Dr. Jeff Preston, who teaches Robert鈥檚 disability studies class, describes the octogenarian as 鈥渧ery eager,鈥� 鈥減assionate鈥� and 鈥渏ust like any other student.鈥�
鈥淥ne of the greatest things about Ron being in the classroom is he brings a different perspective: a perspective of his life, but also a perspective of somebody who has a鈥� diagnosed disability,鈥� Preston told 麻豆影视. 鈥淚鈥檓 so thankful that Ron is stepping forward and saying, 鈥業鈥檓 going to add my voice鈥� to this fight to think differently about Alzheimer鈥檚 and dementia,鈥� to say, 鈥楾his isn鈥檛 the end, this is just the start of a new chapter.鈥欌��
As for Robert, he hopes his example will inspire more research into living well after receiving an Alzheimer鈥檚 diagnosis.
鈥淲hat annoys me is all of the money that goes into research on Alzheimer鈥檚, it seems it鈥檚 always about the pills,鈥� he said. 鈥淚 haven鈥檛 seen one study yet about how to handle it. I鈥檝e written a brief paper recommending a study be done based on what I鈥檓 doing and it鈥檚 really hard to get the researchers interested in it.鈥�
And what started as a way to keep his mind active has also given him some new goals too.
鈥淚 want to cross that stage with some of those great, bright young adults鈥� to graduate,鈥� Robert said. 鈥淚鈥檓 hoping I鈥檓 the beginning of a wave -- I hope that all those people out there listening that have given up on Alzheimer鈥檚 will just get off their butts and join me out here!鈥�
