The first hurdle I had to clear while waiting for a routine heart procedure at a large south London hospital last month was a dementia test. No one had told me about this beforehand, so I just had to wing it. I sat on the edge of a trolley in my hospital pinny and answered questions from a young and very agreeable nurse. I can’t remember much about the test, except that it wasn’t very difficult and I passed.
The greatest challenge was having to count backwards from 20. The other things were easier. I was asked my name, my address and my telephone number, and got them all right. I was also able to name the Queen. The counting backwards was a little bit more difficult – I stumbled at five – but in the end I got it right.
