Singer Milton Nascimento, 82, has been diagnosed with dementia, revealed his son, businessman Augusto Nascimento, on his Instagram profile.
He stated that Milton began showing different behaviors at the end of last year, but nothing alarming. Over time, however, the changes intensified. “Parkinson’s, diagnosed in 2022, advancing, and daily activities being impacted.”
Augusto reveals that he took a motorhome trip with his father in May. “We drove approximately 4,000 km, I was driving with him always by my side as co-pilot choosing the music – just like we always did on our good trips around the world. Somehow, I knew that trip would be a farewell to those moments,” said the son, highlighting that, within his limitations, Milton had a lot of fun and would say that it “had been the best trip of his life.”
Back in Brazil, Augusto says he was on a work trip when he had to rush back home. Milton needed support due to dehydration, stemming from the difficulty he has been having drinking liquids and eating.
“From then on, we went on a rollercoaster, and absolutely everything changed extremely quickly: then came the harsh dementia diagnosis,” declared the son.
“Our dialogues since then have mostly been silent or a bit confused. My father calls me and tries to talk to me, but he doesn’t always manage to express himself.”
“The countless calls every time I travel for work no longer exist, nor the curiosity for good life gossip, or the anxious wait every time I return home when he would greet me with a t-shirt featuring our photo, or the mischievous curiosity to ask me if I had beaten everyone in the jiu-jitsu training rounds,” Augusto added.
In an interview with Piauí magazine, Augusto revealed that his father’s diagnosis, after various exams and clinical tests, is Lewy body dementia (LBD), a neurodegenerative disorder characterized by decline in thinking, movement, behavior, cognition, and mood functions. LBD is the third most common type of dementia and has symptoms similar to those of Alzheimer’s disease and, regarding motor issues, Parkinson’s.
Source: Agência Brasil