A doting son is helping his dad deal with his Alzheimer’s while raising awareness for the disease.
Simon McDermott and his father Ted McDermott are singing to the standards to raise money for the Alzheimer’s Society, and their videos have gone viral.
The father-son duo have crooned several throwback tunes for the cause, including “Mack the Knife” and “Volare.” Their most popular duet, however, is “Quando, Quando, Quando,” which has now garnered hundreds of thousands of views.
Ted, also known as The Songaminute Man, used to sing in pubs and clubs before he was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s in 2013.
Click to the next page to read about what Simon McDermott had to say about his father’s disease, and how singing has helped.
As the disease took hold of his mind, Ted began to change.
“He’s back in the room.”
“The more Alzheimer’s kicked in, the more Dad became violent – both physically and verbally – it was incredibly difficult to manage. And terrifying at times,” Simon wrote. “In the last few years his memory has deteriorated a lot—often not recognizing me as his son. It’s a horrible illness.”
Now that Simon has got his dad singing again, he’s noted a remarkable change: “He’s back in the room. It’s these moments that we treasure.”
Michael Dent, Director of Fundraising at the Alzheimer’s Society, wrote on its website: “Alzheimer’s Society is extremely grateful for Simon’s fantastic fundraising achievements in honour of his father, Teddy Mac.
“Songaminute is an inspiring and touching idea that is not only raising vital funds for the charity, but also highlighting the positive impact that listening to music and singing can have for people with dementia.”
As of this writing, Simon and Ted have raised over £77,500 for the charity.
READ: Woman with alzheimer’s remembers daughter and says something incredible!
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