Throughout history, creative writing has been used to capture time and human experiences, as well as act as a therapeutic channel for reader and writer alike. To truly understand what people are experiencing, you need a window into their lives, and this collection of short stories and poems, beautifully penned by Locality Leader Gillian Councill, are intended to serve that purpose. They convey some of the themes, challenges and moral dilemmas people are faced with every day.
The stories are all based on real experiences but have been anonymised for confidentiality reasons. Gillian said: ‘People living with dementia are amongst the worst affected by the pandemic in society and hearing people’s heart-breaking experiences made me realise that these stories needed a voice. We are in a privileged position that people trust us to enough to share their stories with us, some so powerful that when told, they can act as a catalyst for others to understand’.
The key themes are of loss, fear, escapism, withdrawal, sacrifice, uncertainty and giving up. They highlight the incredible strength and commitment of people within our dementia community, and the constant theme is that of love.