Drew Barrymore (left) and Adam Sandler in a scene from the movie "50 First Dates", a romantic comedy about Lucy, a high school art teacher with a unique neurological disorder that causes her memory to be erased overnight, every night, and Henry, a marine life veterinarian, who falls for her and is forced to woo her all over again every day.
IF YOU are an avid movie-goer, you would enjoy scenes brought to life by the director, as he or she tries to recreate scenes that are close to the actual events that happened.
(Read: Christoper Nolan's Oppenheimer).
Or if it comes to scenes in medical TV series, like House, ER or Grey's Anatomy, the producers would try to recreate scenarios, which are grounded with reality (despite the bizarre and unexpected cases that occur in most episodes).
So, the symptoms and treatments used in those series have to be as accurate as possible. But is it possible for things to be the other way around? Is it possible for a treatment for a fictional medical condition used to treat a real-life medical condition?
Verdict:
TRUE
This is surprisingly true, and it's based on the 2004 movie 50 First Dates, starring Adam Sandler and Drew Barrymore.
In the movie, Barrymore's character Lucy got involved in an accident, resulting in not being able to form new memories from the day of the accident.
As she can't remember the previous day, Sandler's character Henry tries to win her over every single day (hence, the movie's name).
With that in mind, Henry tries to woo Lucy by playing video recordings of him (and later, together with her) of what they have been doing every single day, and he repeats this daily until they get married and have kids together.
Interestingly, while Lucy's mind-boggling condition is not real, the treatment aka video recording method was used by a home for the elderly in Riverdale, New York City.
The home would make pre-recorded messages from family members of the Hebrew Home residents, who were suffering Alzheimer's disease and other forms of dementia, in hopes that the video would break through the morning fog of forgetfulness that could often cause them agitation and fear.
"We're looking to see if we can set a positive tone for the day without using drugs," Charlotte Dell, director of social services at the home, was quoted saying.
Relatives who take part in this programme are urged to say good morning, use memory-triggering personal anecdotes and remind the residents that attendants will be helping them get dressed and ready for the day.
"What better way to start the day than to see the face and hear the voice of someone you love wishing you a wonderful morning?" Dell added.
Robert Abrams, a geriatric psychiatrist at New York-Presbyterian Hospital, called the programme "both innovative and thoughtful."
However, Alzheimer's patients vary widely, and techniques that may work beautifully for one might not work for another.
In general, those who have family members suffering from this degenerative brain disease should work together with other family members, friends and caretakers to care for the individual.
Ideally, family members would have to come together, and discuss how to take care of the said family member, and ensure that the house is safe for the individual.
While there is no known cure for the disease, scientists are coming closer to a possible treatment that could slow the grim deterioration of the brain.
The data of the research, published in the prestigious New England Journal of Medicine in 2022, showed a substantial reduction in damaging brain plaques and some modest slowing of cognitive decline in patients with early disease.
But until a drug is proven to completely cure Alzheimer's disease, it is best to treat them (and other family members) with love, and don't forget to tell them how much you love them - even if it's a simple voice recording, or a short video clip.
References:
2. https://time.com/3828172/adam-
3. https://www.thestar.com.my/
