Malcolm Young - Songwriter, Rockstar, Dementia
This article gives a brief overview of Dementia, find out more about Dementia and other mental illnesses at our Public Health Information Session. 2nd Session 'Dementia & Delirium' 7:00pm 16th June 2015.
Malcolm Mitchell Young is a songwriter, backing vocalist, rhythm guitarist and founder of the AC/DC band, an Australian hard rock band. He was born on the 6th of January 1953 in Glasgow. He was one of the founders of the band in November 1973 and was with the band until 2014. He was described as the businessman behind the band. He was also the rhythm guitarist and aided the broad appeal of their band’s sound. He developed a lot of the guitar rifts the band used and co-wrote the band’s songs with his younger brother Angus. He has two kids with his wife Linda Young whose names are Cara and Ross.
Malcolm Young (far left) with AC/DC bandmates on album cover 'Highway to Hell (1979)'
Before forming the AC/DC band, he was initially with The Velvet Underground, a Newcastle-based band. He began national touring with Dave Evans in 1974. The band moved to the United Kingdom in 1976 and enjoyed a heavy schedule of international recording and touring. Their band lost Bon Scott, its lead singer in 1980. He developed a drinking problem and left the band briefly in 1988 to address the problem. He was however, replaced by Stevie Young, his nephew who had a striking resemblance with him during his absence. He was however able to return to the band after becoming sober. Malcolm Young was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2003 along with other members of the AC/DC band. A guitar, Gretsch G6131MY was also modeled after his original 1962 Jet Firebird.
Malcolm Young and Dementia - Early Symptoms & Diagnosis
Malcolm Young became seriously ill in 2014 and could not continue with the band. The Sydney Morning Herald of 26th September 2014 reported that Malcolm Young was admitted to a nursing home and was suffering from Dementia. He was reported to have completely lost his short-term memory. This was later confirmed four days later by his family. His brother Angus however, noted that some of the signs of Dementia were noticed in him as early as 2008.
Dementia is a type of mental ill health that causes an often gradual but long term decrease in the ability to remember things or think which always have a negative effect on the person’s daily activities. Another symptom of Dementia is emotional problems, decrease in motivation as well as language problems.
Dementia - What is it and what does it look like?
Alzheimer’s disease is the most common type of Dementia. Other types of Dementia are Lewy body Dementia, frontotemporal Dementia and vascular Dementia.
Dementia comes with a lot of signs and symptoms including disinhibition and impulsivity, agitation, balance problems, difficulty with speech and language, tremor, anxiety and depression, eat and swallowing problems, delusions and hallucinations, memory distortions and restlessness. They also get angry suddenly or burst into tears when they are frustrated especially when they are pressured beyond their abilities. Dementia is sometimes accompanied by psychosis, another mental ill-health condition.
Early Symptoms
In most cases, Dementia starts with the mild cognitive impairment when there are subtle signs and symptoms of Dementia. The mild cognitive impairment is however noticed long after the changes in the brain that leads to Dementia has started. This then progresses to the early stages of Dementia when the symptoms are easily noticeable to those around the individual. The person will still be able to take of himself/herself but will easily forget some basic things.
Middle Stages of Dementia
The middle stages entail worsening of symptoms noticed in the early stages and would not be able to function on his or her own outside the house. Simple chores might not be an issue but the individual would need assistance even to take care of himself/herself.
Last Stages of Dementia
Comparison of healthy brain & brain during advanced Alzheimers
The last stages would require a 24-hour supervision of the individual so as to keep him/her safe as he may not be able to recognize common dangers such as sharp objects, they may wander and fall and might not be able to control their bladder or know when they need to use the bathroom.
The causes of Dementia include hypothyroidism, Lyme disease, neurosyphillis and Vitamin B12 deficiency.
For now, a lot of proposal has been made about prevention and management of Dementia as it currently have no cure except for the few treatable types of Dementia. Some proposed prevention includes lifestyle changes and medication as well as computerized cognitive training.
Management of Dementia
For management of Dementia, proposed interventions include psychological therapies, medications, help with relieving pain, assisted feeding, alternative medicine and palliative care.
From the foregoing, it can be seen that it would be extremely difficult for Malcolm Young to be able to recover from the disease. Despite how talented Malcolm Young was and even though he was able to achieve a lot, Dementia has however made it impossible for him to be able to continue on his band. The effects of Dementia on him could have been reduced if probably his friends and brothers were well informed on the signs and the steps to take as soon as they first started noticing the signs in 2008.
While nobody wishes for Dementia (or any form of illness), they are bound to happen to some people, particularly those with a family history of Dementia. One of the best ways to address these risks, is to take appropriate steps as soon as symptoms manifest. Our 2nd Public Health Information Session provides a detailed education about Dementia & Delirium, including the symptoms of Dementia. If you or someone your love has a family history of Dementia, it is worth attending this session to learn how to detect symptoms of Dementia.
This Information Session provides a detailed education of Dementia, current treatment options, what delirium looks like & how modern medicine is treating this condition.
The 2nd Public Health Information Session is being held on the 16th June 2015 @ 7:00pm. Order your tickets now, as tickets are limited.