books
Award-winning broadcaster
Sally Magnusson’s mother
was a bright, curious
woman, until dementia took
hold. Sally reveals Mamie
Baird’s story, and highlights
the impact the illness has
on millions of families, in
her moving new book.
Where Memories Go
~ Memories of my mother ~
MAIN IMAGE:
Sally with her mother Mamie.
Mamie Baird Magnusson was a fun-loving, spirited mother
-of-five, regarded as one of the finest journalists of her
generation. Originally a star writer for the Scottish Daily
Express, she married her junior colleague Magnus Magnusson,
who was charmed by her inquisitive nature, sharp intellect
and zest for life. But as she reached her 70s, her family
noticed that she wasn’t as inquisitive as she’d once been.
“We noticed a withdrawal of curiosity that I found perplexing,
because my mother was always the most keen and interested
and curious and alert of women,” says her daughter Sally, who
presented BBC Breakfast Time in the Eighties and now presents
Reporting Scotland. “Her eyes used to sparkle when she was
around anything interesting. I noticed she wasn’t interested in
things I expected her to be interested in, and her grasp of detail
was going. She lost interest in writing and it took us a long time
to notice.”
Sally’s father, the late Mastermind host Magnus Magnusson,
didn’t voice his concern initially, although Sally is sure he
picked up on the fact that things weren’t quite right.
“We spent many years not talking about it
and I think that’s common in families.”
“You want to believe everything’s normal and you adjust and
try and get on with things as best you can. I’m not sure how my
father coped,” Sally, 58, continues. “He died before things got so
bad that life changed forever. He would ask us to come over and
jolly her along a bit, to help get her out of bed or get dressed.
He was certainly in need of help but he didn’t make a hullabaloo
about it.”
As conversation became difficult, singing took over and in the
l ] \