During her last years, my dear Aunt Ivy was isolated from society and the happy fulfilled life she once knew. Aunt Ivy spent the last five years of her life in a residential home for people with dementia.
During that time, Aunt Ivy, always a traveller, went on a solitary and frightening journey, travelling this time into the unknown. She had memory loss difficulties, problems with verbal communication and was unable to cope with personal and simple tasks.
Aunt Ivy spent most of these five years in a small room; her loneliness and frustrations resulting, on occasion, in the display of challenging behaviour.
Aunt Ivy might have lost her memory, but she never lost love.
Music and words, written and performed by Ellie Gamble
Spending time with Aunt Ivy, when I was growing up, was stimulating - she taught me so much.
Spending time with Aunt Ivy as she was 'forgetting her memory' continued to teach me, making me eternally thankful for my own memory and memories, laughter, sunshine, gentle breezes, seabirds, my music and breathing...
When Aunt Ivy started 'forgetting her memory' she had difficulty in recognising faces, objects and landscapes and the world around her began to feel unfamiliar. What she needed most were those once familiar things, routines, sounds and objects.
Aunt Ivy deserved respect, reassurance, comfort and love... they were not always there.
Some of the images in this video gained me the bittersweet accolade of
'FELLOW OF THE ROYAL PHOTOGRAPHIC SOCIETY'.
