A woman diagnosed with depression which turned out to be Alzheimer's in her 50s was given a day of "freedom" before her children told her about her diagnosis. Linda Sutherland, 68, was diagnosed weeks before her 60th birthday, after suffering from a short temper, weight loss and memory loss. After the death of her husband Ronnie, aged 66, the changes were blamed on depression.
But son Graeme Sutherland, 31, thought something else was behind it. He first noticed something was wrong when he took her to the Harry Potter Studios for her birthday and she got very upset when she couldn't take a photo. After the trip, he took his mother to the doctors, and she was diagnosed with a progressive stage of Alzheimer’s.
Graeme and sister Kirstin, 31, a nurse, were devastated, confused, and unsure what to do next. Kirstin gave their mum one last day of "freedom" before they told her about her diagnosis. Graeme, a claims manager, said: "My mum had been receiving counselling for depression but nothing was getting better - it was getting worse.
