In medicine, the term dementia indicates a neurodegenerative disease of the brain, typical of the advanced age (but not exclusive to the elderly), which involves the gradual and almost always irreversible reduction of the intellectual faculties (capacity of thought, memory, language and behavior, etc. ) of a person.
As movie buffs may know, several Hollywood actors of the past became ill with dementia in the last years of their lives.
Among these, we remember in particular:
- Rita Hayworth (1918-1987). Actress and also known American dancer, she died for the complications induced by the most widespread type of dementia: Alzheimer's disease.
According to her biographies, this serious illness was diagnosed about 7 years before her death in 1980. From diagnosis to death, she was the daughter to take care of her.
- Peter Falk (1927-2011). Born in the United States, he became famous above all for playing Lieutenant Columbus. The chronicles report that his death occurred for a number of reasons: cardio-respiratory problems, pneumonia and Alzheimer's disease. The latter was diagnosed in December 2008, but already in April of the same year he had shown unusual behavior (he had been picked up by the paparazzi while he was roaming, delirious, to Beverly Hills).
- Ronald Reagan (1911-2004). Originally from the United States, he was first an actor and then a politician, with a nomination as President of the USA between 1981 and 1989.
He was diagnosed with Alzheimer's disease in August 1994; at the news, the doctor who visited him during his term as President said he was surprised because Reagan had never shown any suspicious symptoms (NB: dementias are established slowly and are usually diagnosed when the symptoms are already at an advanced stage).
Death was due to pneumonia and complications of Alzheimer's disease itself.
- Robin Williams (1951-2014). Born in the United States, he was one of the greatest Hollywood actors in the late 1980s and throughout the 1990s.
After committing suicide, post-mortem examination of his brain tissue revealed that he was also affected by a form of dementia known as dementia with Lewy bodies as well as Parkinson's.
- Charlton Heston (1923-2008). American, he acted in several colossals and won the Academy Award for Best Actor in 1960 (NB: the film was "Ben Hur"). He declared himself, in 2002, to be suffering from Alzheimer's disease: the announcement was made publicly.
His death came when dementia was joined by a form of pneumonia.
