Sandy
Welcome to the site
I was faced with my partner having the WKS - I have written at
length previously.
A couple of things struck me about your email, similarities. Jenny
was a Senior Partners Legal Secretary and has all of her intellect.
Jenny too will not (cannot?) accept that she has a problem - I
suppose that it's difficult to remember that you have a memory
problem if you have no memory!
Jen has been out of hospital at home for the past 15 months. They
wanted to put her in a home but I insisted and we have been given a
little financial assistance to employ a personal assistant for Jen
so that I continue to work.
What moved me to write was the bit in your mail about the illness
being described as a "...disorder...". From what I have found about
WKS, it is a physical illness (part of the brain is dead), not a
mental disorder. It should not be treated by psychiatric hosptial?
What the alcohol has done to the brain is similar to how a person
suffers with a Traumatic Brain Injury (an accident, or a stroke).
Would the medics put a stroke victim who had lost their memory in a
psychiatric hosptial?? Unfortunately, it seems that it is the stigma
of the alcohol that results in the illness being treated
differently!
The injury is physical, just like someone who has a leg amputated is
a physical problem - someone with WKS has the memory (and
planning/organising 'executive skills' of their brain physically
disabled). There is nothing 'mental' (as in psychotic) about the
illness.
I was also moved to write because I saw NY - is that New York? When
Jen was ill, and everyone (doctors, family, social services) said
that she had to go into a geratric nursing home (she was 56, now
58), I came across a book by Claudia Osborne. Claudia suffered
traumatic brain injury and suffers a loss of memory - hers was
caused by an accident. if when travelling she goes into a toilet
(bathroom), by the time she goes back out she does not know where
she is until she gets out, her memory is so poor (she describes it
as an adventure, she might be at a conference, at the Airport - no
idea). With lots of rehabilitation treatment, however, she has built
a life and travels the USA by herself giving talks about rehab. It
took her time to come to terms with her illness, & she received
about 9 months rehab at an establishment in NY. Her web site is
http://www.claudiaosborn.com - check it out, it shows what can be
achieved?
Anyway, Claudia's site gave me lots of hope. The biggest advance she
made was when she accepted that she 'was a different' person and
could never return to her previous work.
Jen still will not accept her problem, but sometines she now
says "what is the matter with me?". Then she forgets!
Anyway, life goes on and 'we are where we are'. Keep positive if you
can
All the best with the 'back-reading', Sandy - don't let it depress
you too much!
Best wishes
Trevor
ps. Re that 'psychiatric hosptial' thing, did you know that in the
UK in the 1920's and 1930's some girls, if they became pregnant out
of wedlock, were locked away in a psychiatric hosptial and spent
their lives institutionalised. Perhaps we need a more enlightened
approach to rehabilitation of WKS? Just a thought. Perhaps in 50
years time people will look back and wonder why rehab was not better?

pps. Another web site that may be of interest =
http://www.carenzacare.co.uk

ppps. On a positive note (and noting what has been said on site in
other messages re smoking, Jen used to smoke. had smoked for 40
years. Had been trying (unsuccessfully) to help her give up prior to
her illness. Since she has been home, however, she has given up -
her own determination. So, even though her memory is sometimes only
a few minutes and she keeps repeating the same question
(particularly if 'concerned'), she has 'learnt' a routine of not
smoking and knows that she has given up.
Sorry to go on at such length