Sean Donal O’Shea urges open talk on early‑onset dementia

Sean Donal O’Shea, a South Kerry native, spoke at the Alzheimer Europe Conference in Dublin about his mother Debby’s early‑onset dementia diagnosis at age 50.

Diagnosed in 2006, Debby’s condition progressed to loss of speech and hand movement, and O’Shea recalled taking her to a non‑specialist day centre in Caherciveen where she was younger than many staff members.

During a panel discussion, O’Shea shared a video of his mother and said, “When we were young she’d say ‘goodnight, god bless, I love you’… after the diagnosis I’d tell her I love her and she’s an inspiration.”

He praised the support received from the Alzheimer Society of Ireland (ASI), which provided home assistance. O’Shea, formerly a blocklayer, studied in Limerick and now works as a dementia adviser with the ASI, urging families to acknowledge all emotions, including guilt, and to seek help.

In a separate session, Dr Antoinette O’Connor, clinical lead for the Irish Dementia Registry, outlined the new registry’s role in collecting data on diagnoses, supports and medication, noting that estimates of dementia in Ireland range from 64,000 to 70,000.

Source: Irish Examiner. Photo: RDNE Stock project / Pexels.