Care home praised for 'invaluable contributions' to Emmerdale's dementia storyline

For almost two years, MHA (Methodist Homes) have been advising ITV’s long-running Emmerdale show on its storyline involving village vicar, Ashley Thomas, developing dementia.

The storyline, which has also been conceived and produced with support from Alzheimer’s Society, has been lauded by fans and critics alike for its accuracy and realism.
Emmerdale’s series producer, Iain McLeod, said: "MHA’s expertise in the field of caring for people who are living with dementia has been invaluable to us. They help and support people like Ashley and his family every day through their work.

"It is such a sensitive subject and something that is close to people’s day-to-day experiences as so many hundreds of thousands of people and their families live with it.
"Being able to discuss developments in Ashley’s story with Kate and the team at MHA, right through to their comments on scripts and what characters say and how they are behaving, has really helped us get it right."
The Emmerdale production team have been working with Glen Rosa care home in Ilkley Road, where actors John Middleton, who plays Ashley, and Charlotte Bellamy, who plays his wife Laurel, have been meeting with residents and family members.

The care home visits have informed ITV’s realistic depiction of the progression of Ashley’s dementia and captured how the condition can affect family members and friends.
Last year, viewers watched the emotional storyline unfold, which saw the former vicar diagnosed with stroke related early onset vascular dementia. Over recent months they have seen his condition steadily worsen.
In December, an entire episode was filmed through Ashley’s eyes, letting viewers in on his distorted view of the world.
.
The 63-year-old actor hopes the heartbreaking climax to the story will help change people’s attitudes towards dementia.
He said: “We have been very aware that there had to be an immense amount of integrity to the telling of the story. We absolutely needed MHA’s support and their knowledge and the way in which they could introduce us to people who could tell us their stories.
"As I started researching vascular dementia, I thought we had a huge responsibility to get it right. A lot of people have first-hand experience and awareness of dementia so meeting people with dementia and their carers has been vital.
"The way in which we have told the story is quite challenging but we are hoping to give at least something of an insight into what the world is like for someone living with dementia."
Regional director at MHA, Linda Zaidi, added: "For us, it’s been about using our expertise in the field of dementia care to make sure that they get the storyline as accurate as possible, from Ashley’s diagnosis through to his admission to a care home and his eventual death.
"We have been impressed by Emmerdale’s research and dedication to making sure the storyline about Ashley developing dementia and the effect it has on his loved ones has been realistic.

"What has also been great was the courage of ITV to screen such a storyline and tackle the issues that come with it."

SOURCE: carehome.co.uk, Melissa McAlees