OT- Norman Wisdom

jamesmcdonnell · Post by **jamesmcdonnell** » 21 Feb 2008, 06:59

Was wondering why I'd not heard mention of normal wisdom for a while, and did a bit of research, and it turns out he's now in a nursing home suffering from dementia. Sad, because he was such a spry old bugger, and I always found him strangely inspirational.

Was strangely saddened by this, though apparently the old duffer is quite happy in his nursing home, even though he is now quite badly affected to the point of not recognising himself in his movies.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/europe ... 191163.stm

Podmore_Birmingham · Post by **Podmore_Birmingham** » 21 Feb 2008, 07:12

There was a program about him on BBC2 about a month ago. It charted his move from his family to that nursing home. He wasn’t as far gone as I thought he might be; he was entertaining those in the home and always knew what to do when the camera was on him.

Old bones Ian · Post by **Old bones Ian** » 21 Feb 2008, 07:16

Yep, and all those programs keep telling us were all going to live longer, but it doesn't mean your going to get another 10 years of being 25 again.

it means your sat around not knowing whats going on at 85

whicker · Post by **whicker** » 21 Feb 2008, 07:18

I worked over on the Isle of Man in 2004, and he was active then- doing a talk for a group at King Williams College. I remember the Bursar saying he was a national treasure- shame the nation in question was Albania.

jamesmcdonnell · Post by **jamesmcdonnell** » 21 Feb 2008, 07:20

My mum suffers from dementia, and is at a very advanced stage of the disease, but even so, surprising amounts of her personality remain. She is still a remarkably alert woman, and sometimes the things she comes out with absolutely crack me up. She still has a tremendous sense of humour, and a wicked tongue on her. She'll see someone in the street who looks a bit funny and she'll turn to me and say "Jesus wept, will you look at the state of him."

Good to know that Norm' still has them rolling in the aisles.

jamesmcdonnell · Post by **jamesmcdonnell** » 21 Feb 2008, 07:22

Old bones Ian wrote:Yep, and all those programs keep telling us were all going to live longer, but it doesn't mean your going to get another 10 years of being 25 again.

it means your sat around not knowing whats going on at 85

too true.

10 years of sitting soaked in your own pee being fed by a Nigerian nurse in squalid conditions isn't what I fancy.

Some of the places they wanted to put my mum in were a frigging disgrace, the place she is in now is clean, and the staff are really good, and she seems very happy, and that's about all you can wish for.

stujones · Post by **stujones** » 21 Feb 2008, 07:33

Yeah, I saw the documentary and apparently the family have been saying the it was edited to make them look bad....hard to know, but from what I could tell old Norm wasn't at an advanced stage. He had a little trouble remembering people, but once he got reminded then he would remember lots of details about them. His face recognition was poor, but again it wasn't made clear when the last time it was he saw his grand kids (or was it great grand kids).

Certainly my gran has acted in a similar way to how Norm was and she is living on her own quite happy.

jamesmcdonnell · Post by **jamesmcdonnell** » 21 Feb 2008, 07:40

The main risk with dementia is wandering. I really didn't want my mum to go into a home, but she was too much of a risk to herself, the final straw was when she was found at 5.00 in the morning at a bus stop in Wandsworth, having somehow got four miles away from home! After most of Hammersmith and Fulham police out looking for her with helicopters and the lot (I kid you not), they found her sitting there soaking wet on her own. I was at her house going out of my frigging mind with worry, as I got home from work to find her gone, and I was caring for her at the time.

What was even more annoying was when the Police finally found her and brought her back she turned to me and said "My, I had a lovely time." She was totally oblivious.

It may seem that Norm is normal, but lucidity comes and goes, and it's hard to tell just how badly affected he may be.

dondada · Post by **dondada** » 21 Feb 2008, 08:48

Really sorry to hear that, James. One of those things that must be unimaginable if you haven't suffered it.

One of the things his family said about Norman in his nursing home was "At least now he has the one thing he's always been fond of...an audience." He didn't seem that bad to me when I saw some excerpts but his daughter said you would just get the same fragments of conversation over and over again.

WildWaylon · Post by **WildWaylon** » 21 Feb 2008, 09:04

jamesmcdonnell wrote:The main risk with dementia is wandering. I really didn't want my mum to go into a home, but she was too much of a risk to herself, the final straw was when she was found at 5.00 in the morning at a bus stop in Wandsworth, having somehow got four miles away from home! After most of Hammersmith and Fulham police out looking for her with helicopters and the lot (I kid you not), they found her sitting there soaking wet on her own. I was at her house going out of my frigging mind with worry, as I got home from work to find her gone, and I was caring for her at the time.

What was even more annoying was when the Police finally found her and brought her back she turned to me and said "My, I had a lovely time." She was totally oblivious.

It may seem that Norm is normal, but lucidity comes and goes, and it's hard to tell just how badly affected he may be.

A very interesting post to read and your final comment is absolutely right - Residential homes by the way must have an open door (except at night) whereas nursing homes are secure at all times to stop people wandering off. Finding good care homes for the elderly is a nightmare. Many old people are neglected and shouted at by young staff who have little or no proper training or understanding of elderly people. What a way to end your life. Old people do often manage in their own homes with family support but they can be a constant worry. As pointed out the fluctuation of lucidity is an enormous problem. Shocking memory loss, deafness etc only make matters even worse and you fear for their safety. Its a huge problem that most families have to deal with at some time.

hitman_hatton1 · Post by **hitman_hatton1** » 21 Feb 2008, 09:13

i remember watching a load of his 50's films about 10 yrs back.

a good laugh all the way tbh.

i missed that documentary from the other week.

only seen a few clips from it.

hitman_hatton1 · Post by **hitman_hatton1** » 21 Feb 2008, 09:21

jamesmcdonnell wrote:The main risk with dementia is wandering. I really didn't want my mum to go into a home, but she was too much of a risk to herself, the final straw was when she was found at 5.00 in the morning at a bus stop in Wandsworth, having somehow got four miles away from home! After most of Hammersmith and Fulham police out looking for her with helicopters and the lot (I kid you not), they found her sitting there soaking wet on her own. I was at her house going out of my frigging mind with worry, as I got home from work to find her gone, and I was caring for her at the time.

What was even more annoying was when the Police finally found her and brought her back she turned to me and said "My, I had a lovely time." She was totally oblivious.

It may seem that Norm is normal, but lucidity comes and goes, and it's hard to tell just how badly affected he may be.

my dad suffers from dementia and i know exactly what u mean.

i have to keep the front and back door keys in my pocket to stop him from wandering off.

and calling 999 is the other one. he gets panicky sometimes and goes and dials the ambulance. one day last summer i was woken up one morning with a paramedic standing at the door after he had called em up.

WildWaylon · Post by **WildWaylon** » 21 Feb 2008, 09:22

hitman_hatton1 wrote:i remember watching a load of his 50's films about 10 yrs back.

a good laugh all the way tbh.

i missed that documentary from the other week.

only seen a few clips from it.

He was good in an episode of Last of the summer wine. His 50s films were classics, I have two on DVD.

jamesmcdonnell · Post by **jamesmcdonnell** » 21 Feb 2008, 09:27

hitman_hatton1 wrote:
jamesmcdonnell wrote:The main risk with dementia is wandering. I really didn't want my mum to go into a home, but she was too much of a risk to herself, the final straw was when she was found at 5.00 in the morning at a bus stop in Wandsworth, having somehow got four miles away from home! After most of Hammersmith and Fulham police out looking for her with helicopters and the lot (I kid you not), they found her sitting there soaking wet on her own. I was at her house going out of my frigging mind with worry, as I got home from work to find her gone, and I was caring for her at the time.

What was even more annoying was when the Police finally found her and brought her back she turned to me and said "My, I had a lovely time." She was totally oblivious.

It may seem that Norm is normal, but lucidity comes and goes, and it's hard to tell just how badly affected he may be.
my dad suffers from dementia and i know exactly what u mean.

i have to keep the front and back door keys in my pocket to stop him from wandering off.

and calling 999 is the other one. he gets panicky sometimes and goes and dials the ambulance. one day last summer i was woken up one morning with a paramedic standing at the door after he had called em up.

I feel for you mate, been there. At one point I was working, and had to lock my mum in during the day, it was absolutely unbearable, she would cry and plead for me not to lock her in, but If I didn't she would end up god knows where. She said once that she was going to throw herself out the window if I locked her in.

I came home one day to see an ambulance and a police car at the foot of her flats from a distance, and I feared the worst, but fortunately, they were there for the neighbouring flat. Horrific times.

jamesmcdonnell · Post by **jamesmcdonnell** » 21 Feb 2008, 09:28

WildWaylon wrote:
hitman_hatton1 wrote:i remember watching a load of his 50's films about 10 yrs back.

a good laugh all the way tbh.

i missed that documentary from the other week.

only seen a few clips from it.
He was good in an episode of Last of the summer wine. His 50s films were classics, I have two on DVD.

He was also in a film I think in the late 80's early 90's about a man dying from cancer, it was an incredibly powerful film, and his acting, in a straight part was out of this world, had me in tears it did.

silkov · Post by **silkov** » 21 Feb 2008, 11:00

I really love the guy, grew up watching his films, I used to try an imitate him in the film where he gets plastered up from head to toe and walks about... (I was only about 5 at the time!) ....actually does anyone know what film that was in?... as I'd like to get it.
Its very sad whats happned to him as he's always been very lucid and good for his age.
One of the things I always admired about him is that I read how he more or less gave up acting in the late 60s/early 70s when his marriage broke up, so that he could look after his children. Some mothers do ave em was originally written with Norman in mind to play the lead, but he turned it down because of his family situation....

dondada · Post by **dondada** » 21 Feb 2008, 13:16

http://www.grandhaventribune.com/paid/2 ... 746450.bsp

Sad story.

King Tubby · Post by **King Tubby** » 21 Feb 2008, 13:19

Wasn't he a boxer when he was younger? Maybe in the Army.

stujones · Post by **stujones** » 21 Feb 2008, 14:43

King Tubby wrote:Wasn't he a boxer when he was younger? Maybe in the Army.

Yep, and a damn good one I believe. British Army champion.

WildWaylon · Post by **WildWaylon** » 22 Feb 2008, 11:42

stujones wrote:
King Tubby wrote:Wasn't he a boxer when he was younger? Maybe in the Army.
Yep, and a damn good one I believe. British Army champion.

So it wasnt in the ring that he learned how to fall over!!!

Rocky Balboa · Post by **Rocky Balboa** » 22 Feb 2008, 11:47

Mr Grimsdale, Mr Grimsdale!

Norman Wisdom is a really funny guy, one of the best performers of all time. He just loved making people laugh. I reckon that's a nice wya to be, wouldn't you?

I remember watching a film when Wisdom got caught in between the doors of a train. Cannot remember the name of the film, but it was funny.

Anyone see Norman when he was knighted by the Queen? He did his usual pretending to trip-up or slip. Even the Queen foundit funny, who I reckon doesn't laugh easily!

Best wishes to Norman!

jamesmcdonnell · Post by **jamesmcdonnell** » 22 Feb 2008, 14:38

apparently his comedy career started in the boxing ring. He used to clown about and pretend to fall about, and it developed into a little comedy routine.

Guess that footwork came in handy for him in his comedy routines later.

Funny that Lee Evans, the nearest thing we have today, was also an amateur boxer for a time.

STP · Post by **STP** » 24 Feb 2008, 11:05

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_-qV6vegAYM

Let it roll.

larry cake · Post by **larry cake** » 24 Feb 2008, 16:21

he is a national hero in albania, and known as pitkin ( i think ). i remember england playing them in a friendly and a seeing a statuue of him i think outside the airport. he was the main comedy entertainment when albania was behind the iron curtain.

its sad to see the man like he is today, but everyone gets old.