Façade Dementia

Façade Dementia, originally uploaded by Rusty Marvin (experimenting).

Img_8583_lr - Saw this the other morning and thought I would just get a prod in about Dementia as it doesn't seem to get the billing that perhaps it should. Regular viewers will know that the last eight months or so has been littered with a whole raft of illness and issues, but how do you describe to someone what Dementia is, it is not a visual disease that makes the person look any different to what they where before, it is not something you would notice about some one wandering the street. In fact unless you knew the person you probably would not be aware of this disease.
We all joke about getting old and losing our marbles or forgetting something every now and then, looking for your glasses when they are on top of your head alongside all those other senior moments (C.R.A.F.T), but think about being like that 24 hours a day, not able to remember the name of simple things let alone the people close by you. Then at the same time, those around you not understanding what you are telling them, whilst slowly getting worse and not understanding the difference between night and day and why you cannot cut the lawn (which is a concrete patio) at 3 a.m.

Make of the image what you will, to me it presents a face that of a person that has not changed on the outside and a semi void where things are not quite connected as they should be. As the viewer feeling that the person has lost the wisdom, experience and knowledge put together over decades to then have it taken away from them. The deeper you go it takes you in to a child like face showing that in some cases the person reverts to requiring the care and attention that a young child would need to get through life, teaching and training the ways of world all over again in the hope that some of the lessons may stick some where.

The process is a slow one the diagnose to confirm is around six months, the prospects are that the number of people with Dementia will double in the next 20-30 years. It is a heart wrenching disease that is hard to understand as it effects people in different ways, but make yourself aware, attempt to understand the issues, discuss it with friends, because when it impacts you will not have time to, trust me you won't.

Thanks for all your comments, favs and views over the recent months it has been much appreciated and kept me smiling.