Language plea in Alzheimer's case

Mrs Davies responds well when spoken to in Bulgarian

A man whose wife has Alzheimer's disease is appealing for Bulgarian speakers to help her communicate after she "forgot" how to speak English.

Petranka Davies, 81, lives in Winchester but was born in Bulgaria and used to be fluent in six languages.

Dementia has affected her ability to speak English but when she is spoken to in Bulgarian she responds well.

Her husband Gerald, whose Bulgarian is limited, is looking for other speakers to help with her talking therapy.

When she first heard the Bulgarian again her eyes absolutely lit up Gerald Davies

Mr Davies said he noticed a visible physical change in his wife when she was spoken to in her mother tongue.

"[I saw] the difference in her demeanour, the difference in the expression on her face, the difference in the expression in the eyes, which are normally quite vacant.

"When she first heard the Bulgarian again her eyes absolutely lit up. I can see now that she's responded more and more to her mother tongue."

Before the onset of Alzheimer's Mrs Davies worked for the BBC using her language skills to broadcast to Bulgaria.

Apart from English, she also spoke Russian, German, Italian and Spanish, but now she can only make "noises" in English.

Mr Davies has now secured NHS funding for two sessions a week with an interpreter and is keen to find other Bulgarian speakers who may be able to help with additional talking therapy.