Francisco Gallego, 60, a former forklift driver, has been suffering from Alzheimer’s disease of spatiotemporal disorientation for 4 years. He can no longer read or write, and even less concentrate. The only thing that can get him out of his confinement is television – and even then in homeopathic doses. His wife Geneviève, 64, who is semi-employed, has become a carer. The Gallegos, who live in Corneilla-del-Vercol, have agreed to talk about their daily lives as part of World Alzheimer’s Day in the P.-O. Upsetting.
He can hardly find his bearings in time and space anymore. He has trouble finding the use of an object, can no longer read or write, much less drive – the last time he got behind the wheel, he confused the road with the sidewalk – and it is with superhuman efforts that he finds a date, a place, a name or an event. Francisco Gallego, tall and emaciated, is at barely 60 years old a young Alzheimer’s patient. At his side, attentive to his every gesture and his words spoken, sometimes stumbling over the words, Geneviève his wife, forces herself not to systematically correct him or correct him. “It’s good that he’s exercising his memory and concentration, she confides, It can help him to delay the progression of his illness, to not completely lose touch with reality. To not detach himself from those around him.”
The day when…
We feel that this couple, remarried for 13 years, three children and grandchildren, is more than united: united. “What has strengthened our love and our bond even more is of course this f… illness, and all the consequences that result from it. It fell on us like a cluster bomb. And it’s been going on for four years now…” Francisco, supported by his other half, tries to gather his jumbled memories: “I was coming back from a medical visit at work – I was a forklift driver in a large company in Perpignan – and when I was about to leave the premises, while I was in my car, I felt lost, no longer knowing where I was going. Finally I managed to cross Perpignan, but stopped at one point to ask for help. I hailed a driver, who was very friendly, explaining the situation to her and asking her to guide me to the hospital. From there, knowing the road by heart, I drove “by compass” to Corneilla-del-Vercol where Geneviève, worried to death, was eating her heart out. Just think, I had left the doctor’s surgery at 4 p.m., she had not heard from her and it was 9 p.m. It was pitch black when I got back.” MRI, CT scan, Pet Scan will follow, and then the verdict. The cold shower.
Nicolas Parent – Nicolas Parent
Geneviève lowers her head. When she raises it, her eyes are moist. The evocation of this nightmarish day brings old pains to the surface. At 64, carer to her husband since 2020, she is still semi-professionally active. “I clean the town hall every morning from Monday to Friday,” she breathes. “Of course we benefit from personal assistance and a nurse who comes three times a week. Every 6 months he sees his neurologist. On Saturdays, I take Francisco to the day center of the Grand Platane Pôle Alzheimer 66 to attend the workshops for young patients. He follows the therapeutic education “Living with the disease” and since 2023 has participated in outings of the support group which, he tells me, do him a lot of good.
Nicolas Parent – Nicolas Parent
But what about when they get back to their little “sweet home” where little sculptures made by Francisco are enthroned everywhere? What about when silence falls over them like a leaden blanket, despite the noise of the TV in the background? Geneviève soberly sums up this daily life that is burdensome in many ways, “With Francisco we live to the rhythm of his increasingly frequent absences, and his bouts of melancholy which accompany him from morning to night.”
Nicolas Parent – Nicolas Parent
Highlights of World Alzheimer’s Day in Perpignan
Friday September 20 : a film debate at the Castillet at 6:30 p.m. around the film “La mémoire éternelle” (cinema tickets at 7 euros).
Saturday September 21, The France Alzheimer 66 association is organizing two events (free entry): Open lunches for professionals from the 3 information sites, reception and advice from FA66 / Le Grand Platane in Perpignan, Argelès-sur-Mer and Millas (information from Pauline Cazal on 0786678432).
And finally, the Thursday October 3, an event as part of the national caregivers’ day to meet, raise awareness and inform the general public. From 9:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. at Place de la Victoire. This is the first year that the association “S’unir pour mieux vous soutien” has organized such an event in Perpignan.
