Mental Health

‘Emmerdale' Dementia Episode Gets Praises From Alzheimer's Society, Soap Fans

By Leian N. | Update Date: Dec 22, 2016 08:30 AM EST

The "Emmerdale" dementia episode had been praised by the Alzheimer's Society itself for giving awareness to viewers about the disease. A scene showed the character Ashley Thomas dealing with not being able to remember his loved ones, triggering positive results from viewers and patients who suffered the same fate.

Last Tuesday, the "Emmerdale" dementia episode was featured in the series where John Middleton, who played the part of Ashley Thomas, portrayed a common experience that people with the disease undergo in their day-to-day lives. In fact, the episode was said to be a way to bring awareness for people to know what families who have members who suffer the disease have to undergo in their lives.

Per Cathy Baldwin, the organizational development manager of the Alzheimer's Society, the portrayal captured the very essence of family and the challenges that family members have to endure when their loved one experiences forgetful episodes at home. In fact, the "Emmerdale" dementia episode was considered as a realistic take on a patient's and as victim's family's point of view, reported BBC.

The "Emmerdale" dementia episode was a collaborative effort of the series producers and members of the Alzheimer's Society along with MHA to instill an authentic experience of dementia patients into the storyline.

Furthermore, the episode was also considered as an awakening to those who suffer the disease that what they're experiencing is not a personal experience, but that others also face the same challenges as they do too. The dramatic portrayal likewise enhanced the purpose of the episode and had received positive reviews in both authenticity and acting performance.

The Sun also reported that the "Emmerdale" dementia episode was a development of the soap to divert the storyline back to its roots. It even resulted to a recasting of Aaron Dingle which was said to have given the show a more in-depth take on the storyline.

One fan even suggested that the changes imposed in the "Emmerdale" dementia episode were a clever move made by the soap as the cast expounded and the cast members brought the audience back to the original village where all drama emanated from.

With such higher praises from the Alzheimer's society, the "Emmerdale" dementia episode likewise received positive feedback from its audience and, at the same time, raised awareness on what patients with the disease go through in their daily lives. 

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