Dementia Diaries – Nov/Dec 2024
This special issue of JDC gives us a great opportunity to showcase a positive vision of life with dementia – the blossoming of creativity, connection and growth that people with dementia have found through the arts.
Many diarists and others have told us that at the point of diagnosis, they were basically advised to ‘get their affairs in order and get ready to die’. What these diaries show us is that life goes on with dementia. People do not need to stop learning, stop growing, and finding new ways of seeing and exploring the world around and within them.
During lockdown, diarist Frannie decided to set up an online watercolour course for others with dementia. These were hugely successful, and Frannie helped many people to discover the joy of painting. Here’s Stephen. “I love it, once you get concentrated on that everything else is just gone away”
Frannie was also commissioned to work with people face to face in Wales and ran a series of very successful courses. She also delivered a one-off workshop as part of the ENLIVEN project, which looked at the connection between nature and dementia. Here Frannie talks about that:
For all the difficulties it bought to people’s lives, lockdown was also an engine of creativity for many. In this diary Gail describes how during lockdown, creativity in the form of crafting, poetry and photography bought solace, excitement and connection with others.
The Time and Place project involved fair few diarists who were supported to explore the use of poetry, and was hugely successful. You can read more about the project here: https://www.dementiavoices.org.uk/time-and-place-poetry-project-2020/
…and can get a copy of the resulting book here: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Collected-Poems-Time-Place/dp/1838127879
…and here is diarist Keith with a few of his poems from the project (and again, a mention of his experiences in Frannie’s art classes):
Ronald is very active now in dementia and the arts, and has done a huge amount to highlight the power of music for people with dementia. We first met him when he joined as a diarist and submitted this glorious poem, set to music.
Let’s stay with music. One of the amazing things about the DEEP network is the number of groups which have been set up by people with dementia themselves to support others. Diarist Dory set up the Like Minded group in Mold, and in this diary she introduces Lyn. This is absolutely joyous – have a listen…
Paul and Tommy have frequently used music to, in the words of Lord Reith, “inform, educate and entertain” about dementia. Here they are in typically irreverent form.
Peter Berry’s book Slow Puncture (written with Deb Bunt) is one of The Reading Agency’s choices for this year’s list: Reading Well for Dementia.
https://readingagency.org.uk/books/22365563
We mentioned “I’ve got you” in this column a few years ago – but it is worth revisiting, The music is inspired by a tune from Paul, played mostly by Chris, and contains poetry from Dory, George, and Wendy along with artwork from Frannie and beautiful banners created by DEEP groups. Not bad for a bunch of ‘dead’ people eh…..
fish strawberry wasp
By Maxine Linnell
Up to her knickers in stream
she fished for tadpoles
through bent light
carried them home
by a string handle
to free in the garden pond.
Strawberries
she picked
hulled
sugared
boiled up
packed in
sealed with gingham covers
to spread
on scones.
Calling for help
that didn’t come
her hand shaking
till the jar might crack
she trapped a wasp
against the kitchen window.
Could it sting
through glass?
This summer
jam jars
lie empty in the shed
cobwebbed
loaded with dust.
She is lost for words.
The simple ones –
fish
strawberry
wasp –
slip down
too deep for catching.
A few words about my writing:
I’ve written for most of my life. Nothing is different now, though the content of my work changes as I do. There have been novels, stories, articles and poems; the ones I come back to probably have some personal content.
This Dust, a collection of my poetry, was published in 2017. Writing is part of who I am, it’s how I contact myself, how I speak to others. When I had my diagnosis, I started a series of pieces about dementia. Instead of preparing for a book, I thought a blog would catch the process as it unfolded, and it wouldn’t matter when it needed to end.
The blog continues, at www.maxinelinnell.com
Maxine Linnell
Frances Isaacs:
I made this drawing when out with our little dog. We were
on a pathway between two Welsh valleys in the Brecon Beacons. The dog jumped up on to some rocks to get the view below.
Scenes from Whitstable beach in watercolour
Keith Oliver
Beach walks and talks with a student at Whitstable near my home are a highlight of my week. Since being inspired by Frances Isaacs and George Rook’s online art group I’ve loved dabbling in watercolour painting.