29/12/2024
‘This montage is both a representation of losing my mum to dementia, and my way of coming to terms with it.’
This week, we’re looking back at some of our most memorable posts from 2024. Today we wanted to highlight this striking piece of art, which was shared with us by photographer James from Shropshire, who lost his mum to dementia five years ago.
‘This piece is called ‘She Thinks You’re My Son’ and it shows nine images of me as a child with each one becoming less and less recognisable, representing the slow degradation of memory and recognition due to dementia.
‘Beside my mum’s bed in the care home was a selection of family photos, including the original of this school photo of me. As time went on it became clear that my mum no longer recognised me.
‘One day when I was visiting mum, after a carer had been in to see us both, my mum said to me, ‘She thinks you’re my son.’ Whilst I knew we were losing mum to dementia, this was the clearest indication up to then of that sad fact. I’ve used those words as the title for this piece.
‘I hope that sharing this image helps other families to talk about dementia, and to share their feelings, fears and concerns. I’d encourage everyone to agree what will happen if you or someone in your family develops dementia – find out about living wills, power of attorney, and other practical ways to plan for the future.
'It may be an uncomfortable subject to discuss, but it’s a whole lot worse brushing it under the carpet.’
