The 5 Live Must Watch blog Feed

Diagnosed with dementia when young

2014-02-02T15:39:22+00:00

Approximately 800,000 people in the UK have dementia. The vast majority of those are diagnosed after the age of 65 – but around 17,000 people have been diagnosed with dementia in their early 60s, 50s, 40s and, in some cases, 30s. On Tuesday 4 February at 10am Victoria Derbyshire will broadcast from the country's only dedicated day support service for young people with dementia. It’s called the Young Onset Dementia Centre and throughout the programme we’ll hear from some of the people who use its services and their family and friends.

One of the people you’ll hear from is Ronnie Lomax. He’s 53. He was diagnosed with a type of dementia 12 years ago at the age of 42. He wanted to write this blog for 5 live about living with dementia:

“Dementia.

"Forgetting names, forgetting faces. That’s something that happens to old people isn’t it?

"I was diagnosed with dementia 12 years ago. I was 42.

"I was the Duty Manager at a big leisure complex in Wythenshawe in Manchester, a Club Coach for the British Judo Association, I coached weight training and I was active and respected in my local community. I worked as a special constable. I was fit.

"I’m married to Elaine and we’ve got four children and 11 grandchildren. In 2000 I noticed that simple tasks were becoming more difficult. Like remembering phone calls I had minutes before, problems spelling words I knew I knew, and remembering discussions I had with people.

"I woke up one morning in 2002 with no feeling down my left side. I’d had a stroke. I couldn’t communicate, I had to retire from my work and after two years of speech therapy and occupational therapy I started to return to normality with the support of my family.

"When I eventually got an appointment to see a neurologist I was told my brain scan was clear and I probably had Munchausen’s Syndrome, or it was all in my mind.

"My family and I were totally dumbfounded. I was still forgetting things. I started questioning myself. Was I ill or was the doctor right?

"I had been going to a memory clinic and when I told them what the doctor had said I was sent for a SPECT scan - single photon emission computed tomography.

"I was told that I had vascular dementia - the second most common form of dementia after Alzheimer’s disease. It is caused by problems in the supply of blood to the brain. My dad died when he was 45 and my brother when he was 29. I didn’t realise that it was all to do with a family history of really high blood pressure.

"After we got the diagnosis I had many mixed feelings. I was angry because of the missed diagnosis.

"Worried about what was going to happen next. Guilty for what my family had gone through – especially my wife.

"Then I felt relieved – in part – because there was a medical reason behind my changes.

"So what is it like living with dementia? We are our memories; dementia takes away your memories, and you, a bit at a time.

"It can get quite upsetting when you forget names, especially those close to you. Grandchildren and other family members and friends.

"Knowing what you want to say, or how to say it can become challenging and difficult for the people around you. Those who know you start to fill in words or correct what you have said.

"On a daily basis you feel that you are at war with yourself hoping for clearer days ahead. From a memory that has come to the surface and then gone. Wanting to say something and then it’s gone. Trying to capture a picture, a thought - then it fades away. We have to live for the moments we are in. Because our history of life, who we are, is slowly draining away.

"I love coming to the Young Onset Dementia Centre in Manchester but I wish we could be called ‘young people with dementia’ instead. People would understand that better.

"I’m bidding for money to get equipment here like a flat screen smart TV, laptops and a colour printer. I’m going to be using the service for years. I need to do this while I still can.”

If you’ve got a story to share do email victoria@bbc.co.uk

Victoria Derbyshire visited the Young Onset Dementia Centre on Victoria Derbyshire's programme. Hear the podcast of the programme here.

The road to Rio

2013-11-07T13:43:29+00:00

On November 10th and 11th Victoria Derbyshire will broadcast from Rocinha, one of the largest favelas (slums) in Rio de Janeiro. It’s not far from where the England squad’s main base is due to be when they arrive for the World Cup next June. Ahead of the tournament Victoria will be finding out what supporters making the journey to South America can expect.

Brazil has a population of 196.6 million (UN 2011), in 2011 around 16 million people (8.5% of the population) were living in extreme poverty, defined as having 70 reais (£27) or less a month. The country though is one of the rising economic powers - otherwise known as BRIC nations - together with Russia, India, China and South Africa. It’s estimated there are one million crack cocaine users in Brazil and the latest crime figures show that 406 people were murdered in Rio and the surrounding state in just one month (August 2013). Rio itself is home to more than 600 favelas.

At the moment Brazil is getting the kind of attention it could do without before a World Cup. Protests across the country have become increasingly violent. Beginning in June, as a response to rising public transport costs, the protests have developed into a movement against poor public services, the cost of staging next year's World Cup and better working conditions for teachers. We’ll be speaking to some of those involved who have vowed to continue demonstrating right up to the World Cup finals.

Since 2008 armed police units (Pacifying Police Units or UPP), backed by soldiers and marines, have been going into Rio's favelas to drive out criminal gangs, and establish the first permanent police presences. It’s part of a strategy to take control of Rio's poor districts from drug-traffickers before next year's World Cup and the 2016 Olympics. The figure for how many favelas have been pacified so far is only just over 30. Leaving hundreds still in the control of criminal gangs.

Rocinha was pacified in November 2011. Hundreds of special forces police and navy commandos backed by armoured military vehicles and helicopters moved into the slum before dawn.

We’ll also report from a favela under the control of drugs lords - a no-go zone for police - where shootings are common and drugs are sold openly in markets on the street. Traffickers are known as the ‘parallel power’, running favelas as their own kingdoms. They build the roads and schools, and mete out their own kind of justice: beatings for thieves, heads shaved for fighting.

Around 400 local people are killed by police in Rio every year. We'll meet the sister of a man alleged to have been tortured and murdered by police in his hometown. Ten officers have been arrested, and she is campaigning to find his body.

We’ll hear from prostitutes learning English to try and attract World Cup fans next summer. They reckon they will be sleeping with 40 men a day during the competition.

Two years ago Brazil announced it was spending £1.4 billion to tackle what has been described as a "crack cocaine epidemic". It is estimated the country has one million crack-cocaine users, we’ll be visiting a clinic where crack addicts are treated to hear from patients and staff.

We’ll also report from inside football's Mecca - the Maracana stadium – where the World Cup final is due to be held on 13 July, 2014. We'll sit with fans of the Brazil’s biggest team Flamengo and see for ourselves the passion Brazilians have for the game.

Victoria Derbyshire will be broadcasting from Brazil on Sunday 10 November at 8.30pm and Monday 11 November at 10am.

See more photos from Rocinha here.

Meeting the Syrian refugees trying to get to the UK

2013-10-17T16:50:52+00:00

by Jim Connolly, Senior Broadcast Journalist

I consider myself a fairly robust character and I am very rarely shocked by the stories I come across at work, but my days earlier this year in the Zaatari Refugee Camp with Shelagh Fogarty producing her programme did just that. The contorted anger on the face of Ahmed who saw his mother shot dead by a sniper when she went to rescue his cousin, himself shot dead in the street, will be permanently etched in my memory.

I recognise that atrocities are happening on both sides of a conflict that shows no real sign of letting up, but what seems undeniable is the suffering faced by the Syrian people caught in the crossfire. I have been sent to produce more interviews with refugees running from the conflict, this time a lot closer to home in Calais, the town and major ferry point in Northern France.

I met around 40 – 50 Syrian refugees, people like Ali and Ahmed; they told me that they wanted to come to Britain because the treatment they receive in France is so bad that they have to sleep in tents on a wasteland. They told me they were happy to risk their lives to get to Britain where they believe they will be able to get proper shelter and even homes for them and their families to live in.

The situation here is complex. The men, and it is mostly - if not entirely men, who line up for food every night have escaped the devastation of their home country and now live in a limbo between France and what they see as an even better life in the UK.

On Friday 18th, Victoria Derbyshire will be speaking to the Syrian refugees and those helping them in Calais. Hear from the European politicians who blame Britain for the crisis in their port. The Home Office says “legal and illegal migration in France is the responsibility of the French authorities”.

Before I left I spoke to the deputy Mayor of Calais, Philippe Mignonet, who told me that Britain is a target for refugees because of a perception that it's a "paradise" for people trying to start new lives.

He said that mafia gangs are making millions from the suffering of migrants fleeing the conflict in Syria. He told me that people traffickers are charging 10 to 12 thousand pounds to smuggle an individual to Europe from across the Middle East.

We will be speaking to Philippe and hear from the likes of Ali and Zackary who have made the journey from the Syrian/Iraqi border, on Victoria Derbyshire’s show from 10am on Friday.

Victoria Derbyshire Friday 18th, 10am Listen again here

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Increase in no. of children admitted to A&E for alcohol

2013-09-27T17:38:11+00:00

On Monday 30th September on Victoria Derbyshire's programme we will reveal, for the first time, Freedom of Information figures which show just how many children aged 11 or younger have been admitted to Accident and Emergency departments across the UK because they had drunk too much.

The figures also show the number of teenagers aged 17 and under who've had to stay in hospital with alcohol related conditions or drug abuse. From 1000am Victoria will hear from A&E doctors, parents, charities and the children themselves.

Have a listen now to "Rob" who's 17 and from West Yorkshire and has been admitted to hospital twice after heavy drinking:

The figures are pretty comprehensive, 125 of the UK's 189 NHS Trusts and Health Boards responded to our request for information. This is the first time UK wide figures have been revealed. They will show:

an increase in the number of children aged 11 or under attending A&E with alcohol related conditions
an increase in the number of children aged 11 or under attending A&E with drug related conditions
which parts of the UK see the most admissions to hospital from teenagers and young people who've drank too much
whether more girls or boys are being taken to hospital for alcohol and drug related problems

Morten Draegebo is an Accident and Emergency consultant at Crosshouse Hospital in Kilmarnock. He told 5 live the dangers to which children are exposed:

Official advice from the chief medical officers across the UK is that no children should be given alcohol until they are 16, and alcohol should only be given to older teenagers under supervision of a carer or parent, and never on more than one day a week.

These teenagers in Pontypool and Cwmbran in South Wales told our reporter Mark Hutchings there is a problem of underage drinking in their areas resulting in verbal abuse, physical injury and A&E admissions.

Listen to Victoria Derbyshire's programme from 10.00am on Monday to hear those figures in full.

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Victoria Derbyshire's Scottish independence debate

2013-09-10T08:02:49+00:00

In a year’s time people living in Scotland will cast their vote in a referendum that could change the future of the UK. They'll be asked "Should Scotland be an independent country?" and that's what we'll be debating on Monday 16 September at 10am in our largest ever Victoria Derbyshire audience debate.

More on that to come, but first some facts.

Yes Scotland is the official campaign for independence, while Better Together is the group arguing to keep the Union. The Scottish National Party (SNP), Scottish Greens and independent MSP Margo MacDonald back independence, while Labour, the Conservatives and the Liberal Democrats are opposed.

The vote will take place on Thursday 18th September 2014. Everyone over the age of 16 who lives in Scotland will get to vote, but registered Scots who live in England, Wales or Northern Ireland won't get a vote. Non-Scots who're registered to vote in Scotland will get a say.

The question "Should Scotland be an independent country?" came about after protracted negotiations. The Scottish government's original version of the question, "Do you agree that Scotland should be an independent country?", was dropped after the Electoral Commission raised concerns it could lead people into voting "Yes".

In the events of a “Yes” vote, Alex Salmond the leader of the SNP wants to declare Independence Day in March 2016, with the first elections to an independent parliament in May. However, before that happens though a constitutional settlement would need to be agreed with the UK government, involving weighty issues which may take a long time to resolve. The independence referendum has been described as a once-in-a-generation event, so a “No” vote would put the issue to bed for the time being.

On Monday 16th September at 10am Victoria Derbyshire will be debating the key issues. We’ll be joined by leading members of the Yes Scotland campaign, the Better Together group and around 300 5 live listeners from right across the UK.

Opinion polls show a large number of people are yet to make up their minds on how they'll vote, so during the programme we'll ask our studio audience to vote twice. Once at the beginning of the programme and once again after they've heard the debate. As well as the main question, we’ll be asking what the rest of the UK would be called if Scotland does vote for independence, what would happen to the monarchy and if Scotland would keep Sterling as a currency.

The economy will also dominate the debate. The Yes campaign says Scotland generates more money for the UK economy than is handed back by Westminster and that after independence that cash can be spent where it's really needed. The No campaign says Scotland's economy benefits from the security of being part of one of the world's biggest economies, from bank bail outs to green energy subsidies, and so cutting ties built up over 300 years would leave Scotland dangerously exposed in a volatile world.

The debate will be filmed and broadcast on the 5 live website, BBC News Channel, Red Button and the BBC News website from 10am on Monday 16 September. It will also be broadcast again on 5 live on Sunday 22nd September at 8.30pm.

To join in the debate you can call 0500 909 693, text 85058 or use the hashtag #5livedebate.

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Associated content

Video: What would independence mean for Scotland?

5 live brings you the battle for Eastleigh

2013-02-20T16:50:01+00:00

5 live’s special programme on the Eastleigh by-election with Victoria Derbyshire should be a compelling listen for those who love their politics. And maybe more so for those who don't. On Thursday 28 February - polling day - someone’s going to get bruised.

Eastleigh high street, former MP Chris Huhne and a Lib Dem campaign placard in Eastleigh.

While former Cabinet minister, former MP and possible future prison-inmate Chris Huhne awaits sentence for dodging speeding penalty points and lying about it, the Eastleigh by-election has turned into exactly the closely fought scrap blood-thirsty pundits were predicting; not exactly bloody, but tense, and with a lot of political credibility riding on the outcome. Now, perhaps you’re groaning to yourself: "Yet another Parliamentary by-election! And yet another political hack telling me how interesting it all is!"

Well, I don't blame you. Most Parliamentary by-elections help fill news bulletins and newspaper columns for a few weeks, and are forgotten in fewer days, or hours. The party in power expects to get a kicking, and usually does. These mid-term contests tell you much more about what people are thinking here and now than what they may think at the next election. Eastleigh, though, is a little different.

It's the first time a Liberal Democrat seat has been contested since the May 2010 election gave us a Con-Libdem coalition. The two parties are going head-to-head, if you believe the polls; struggling to pummel the other's credibility without leaving too much blood on the floor for the Coalition's leaders to mop up. And on each side they are looking to Eastleigh to lighten the deepening gloom of their opinion poll ratings.

We have invited four of the principal candidates; Conservative, Liberal Democrat, Labour and the UK Independence Party. Each will have an equal chance to bring out a campaign game-changer. Or, who knows, a disastrous gaffe? There'll be an audience of around 30 Eastleigh voters. They'll all be invited to share their thoughts on the national and local issues at play, the state of the Coalition, the Huhne effect, or lack of one. And, for what it's worth, I'll be doing my best to inject a little unbiased perspective.

For the Libdems losing Chris Huhne to the probable care of HM Prison Service was scarcely likely to be a vote-winner, but the party holds every borough council seat in the constituency, has a strong local campaigning machine, high local approval ratings and is desperately keen to show that in Eastleigh and elsewhere these assets can help them prove the polls and the pundits wrong. The Conservatives want to show they can gain ground in what, for them, ought to be prime Tory territory. One or two Tory MPs even claim losing here would inflict a deep wound to David Cameron's credibility as leader (though that speculation seems a little overheated to me).

The UK Independence party insist they are capable of challenging for the seat, which is questionable, and that they are now a painful thorn in Tory sides, which is not. Labour would also love to buck the polls, but will enjoy seeing each of the Coalition partners biting chunks out of the other, whatever happens. You might find that interesting too.

John Pienaar will join Victoria Derbyshire with an audience of voters in Eastleigh from 10am Thursday 21st February.