Last night in Coronation Street, there was a beat of a moment where Rita had forgotten that she was the one who'd bought Gemma her own mug for use in The Kabin on their tea breaks. Rita's normally sharp as a pin and misses nowt, so this little scene was telling in so many ways. But what are we to make of it?
Is Coronation Street lining up a dementia storyline for Rita, or could it be stress, perhaps brought on by losing Norris to Mary. I don't mean losing him in a romantic sense but losing her business partner and friend to another woman. I do hope it's just stress. I don't think I could bear to see Rita fade before my eyes, not my favourite Corrie woman.
Sadly, in next week's Corrie Rita is set to have another forgetful moment when she can't remember what day it is. She tells Gemma she's afraid of losing her memory but Gemma just brushes the remark off, not worried at all.
I dread to think what might lie ahead for my favourite Corrie woman of all time.
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I was wondering the same when I watched last night's episode. I do hope they are not going to go down that road, it was done with Mike Baldwin, and I know it is quite common in the elderly, but I don't want to see her go that way. Give it to Pat Phelan, he deserves it!
ReplyDeleteI agree. I thought exactly the same, they've already done this with Mike. It was a bit obvious too, I prefer it when you can't notice things like this and when you look back, you think "Oh yes, I see it now". Know what I mean?
ReplyDeleteYou can have symptoms that mimic dementia from undiagnosed thyroid problems or B12 deficiency which are very common issues for a woman Rita's age and can be treated.
ReplyDeleteI hope the show decides to publicize those causes-which lead to misdiagnoses of dementia-instead of repeating what they did for Mike.
Mike was eleven years ago now.
ReplyDeleteThey can do dementia differently as well.
Rita wouldn't have to leave - this could be a long running plot.
I think it's about time Rita was given something big and proper to do.
"Oh look! Emmerdale has just won awards for it's dementia storyline,we must do one too", said the Coronation Street writers.
ReplyDeleteI hope not, Rita's one of my favorite characters, long may she reign!
ReplyDeleteAgree with above comments, and would add that we've seen Ken struggle with memory loss although his storyline wasn't about dementia. What would be interesting to see, whatever the cause turns out to be, is Rita's desperation to live independently and whether there's a 'carer' role for Gemma. This might have been a storyline for Emily but she's gone. It's about time Corrie dealt with the problems of older people wanting, but failing, to carry on regardless.
ReplyDeleteEmily had a similar storyline years ago, but made a full recovery. I have a relative whom we thought had quite severe dementia but it was caused by a urinary infection - antibiotics completely restored her. I gather there are a lot of similar condition that don't need to be permanent.
DeleteI'm not ready for this. Hoping it's not the beginning of the end of our beloved Rita.
ReplyDeleteMy heart skipped a beat after that line. If it has to be, she will play it brilliantly. And unlike so many others, she has had a long, mostly happy life and lives surrounded by caring friends. I hope Dr. Susan can find a miracle cure.
ReplyDeleteRita is 85, surely working full time at that age must be getting quite stressful. Will this be a reason for her to retire from the Kabin?
ReplyDeleteAnd Norris is 77. These two cant go on much longer. Are we about to see new owners taking over?
Believe me if rita had dimentia she would not be on it for years to come. Would not make good viewing watching a character suffer for so long
ReplyDeleteLynne from Ottawa -- NOOOOOO! I don't want to see Rita with dementia either. Are they trying to kill off the older set? I would rather have a few more battle axes on the Street.
ReplyDeleteWhy can't it just be age-related memory loss? I know it's not as much of an "issue" as dementia but no doubt many folk face this daily. Why does it have to be "a sign" that the end is near rather than demonstrating part of life for older people on a street in Manchester?
ReplyDeleteHigh bloody time both Rita and Norris retired from the cabin! It is ridiculous folks of that age standing behind a counter all day long! Do folks in the U.K. not get pensions?? Time for some new blood to take over the Kabin. I do not for one second want to see Rita or Norris leave the show, just retire and we can see them in the pub, Roy's and the Bistro.
ReplyDeleteI would love to see them spotlight B12 deficiency. I have a family member that works in a psychologist's office, and I still remember her surprise at this simple diagnosis. I had known this for years and expressed amazement that primary care doctors don't pick up on this in elderly patients. All the stress and worry for patient and family, plus the needless expense (someone has to pay). Imagine waiting for that referral, sure someone's going to ship you off somewhere. It's common not just because of dietary changes that come with age, but the body has a harder time digesting it properly.
ReplyDeleteI'm hoping the memory loss is caused by something other than dementia. I can't remember what was wrong with Emily - clinical depression? But they've done that with Steve, so it won't be that. Also, it's ridiculous that folk of the age of Rita, Norris and Audrey still work full time. Much as I enjoy the banter in the Kabin, it's time for a change. What's Rita even doing there anyway, as she sold the Kabin to Norris years ago?
ReplyDeleteEmily developed ocd think it was after marrying that Swain bloke can't remember his first name he turned out to be a biggamist if memory serves me right no pun intended
ReplyDeleteAnon @ 12;00 No, that's not what I was referring to. I don't remember Emily with OCD, but the period I was referring to was a good 10 years after the Arnold Swain fiasco, around 1991, when Percy Sugden was lodging with her. He tried to cover up her 'lapses'. She was showing symptoms of dementia and was hospitalised for some weeks, but I think it turned out to be a breakdown.
ReplyDelete