NRL legend's son opens up about his dad's harrowing battle with dementia
The son of rugby league legend Steve Mortimer has opened up about his dad's ongoing battle with dementia, revealing the footy great now struggles to complete a full sentence.
Mortimer, 68, was diagnosed with the brain disease at the age of 60 having taken countless knocks during his illustrious playing career. He now lives in a nursing home to receive the full-time care he needs.
Affectionately nicknamed 'Turvey, Mortimer's condition has progressively impacted his memory and everyday life to the point where he struggles to remember his brilliant football career.
His family visit him several times a week, with the beloved husband, father and grandfather now living in a childlike state.
'It's hard to know exactly what dad is thinking,' son Andrew told News Corp while on an outing with his dad.
'But we go through it, don't we, dad? I don't know whether dad is thinking of something but can't articulate it or he's not thinking it but there's not much verbally, unfortunately.
'I would say he's on a slow decline. I'm sure people who see him a few months apart, or a year, would see significant change. He is seemingly calm, somewhat at peace with the situation and probably somewhat oblivious.
'My reading of (dad's cognitive condition) is that he's taking in part in what's happening around him but processing that, and then articulating or engaging in a conversation, is close to impossible.
'I would suggest that he's probably at the stage where he's observing life around him, rather than fully participating. We know that you don't get cured from dementia. You don't improve so, for us, it's quality of life. We try to take the approach: 'what he can do', not 'what he can't do'.
'His body language is more or less the same as at any point in his life, as in the warm approach dad always had with everyone. He has never been a man of status. He has always been reasonable, fair and available to anyone and everyone.'
When asked if Steve can complete a full sentence, Andrew replied: 'Unlikely'.
Mortimer, who won three premierships with the Bulldogs in the 1980s and led the NSW Blues to their first ever State of Origin series win against Queensland in 1985, is sadly probably not aware of the success Canterbury are having this year.
'I don't think so,' Andrew revealed.
'Which is a shame because they are absolutely killing it.
'But we watch the games, either at his home or if we're out-and-about, we will grab a beer or coffee and watch the game, usually at one of the local bowling clubs in and around Revesby, or a cafe. But, as time goes on, not so much. It is what it is.'
In 2023, Mortimer's wife, Karen, and their kids Andrew, Matt and Erin, shared when they begun to question whether something was wrong with him.
'He was often misplacing things like his keys, wallet, and phone,' Erin said.
'It was his struggle to find easy words like car, remote, and TV. He'd often get frustrated when he couldn't find the word, and be hard on himself.
'His paranoia and constant asking where mum was and then forgetting only a short while later to then ask again, was telling.'
Andrew was running a small business with his father, but noticed he was writing longwinded emails and the incoherence of those messages raised alarm bells.
Matt noticed changes in his dad that seemed uncharacteristic for him. 'I'm like: you're ageing really quickly, something's off,' he said.
For Karen, a trip to London in 2019 was when she noticed her husband was in trouble.
The couple had visited the city many times before but when going to fetch a coffee, he took an hour and a half to return. Mortimer told his wife: 'I got lost'.
During Covid lockdown, Erin said: 'It was a horrible time for everyone but around this time we watched him spiral even more.
'They were complete mood swings which would come out of nowhere, and his attitude towards mum, and Andrew would worsen.
'It was very hard to watch on occasions. We learnt how to work with them, and not against them, sometimes with the assistance of dad being given medication.'
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