Wilfrid Gordon McDonald Partridge

I came across this book by Mem Fox while doing some research this week. It is quite wonderful and touching and so true of my own experience – and I 'm sure it will resonate with many others, too. 

The ending is regarded by some as perhaps a little fanciful and upbeat, but I have seen on many occasions the way that engaging people who seem lost deep inside themselves or have been forgotten as people, can be a positive, mind-altering experience that can change their mood and their ability to relate to the world around them – sometimes on a long-term basis.

For one man with Alzheimers living in a care home who I met recently, participating in a music workshop on a regular basis has helped him to connect just a little to the world around him. 

When I show my mother images of her family when she was a child, sometimes her dementia is less inhibiting and she can recognise herself. Once she has seen herself in one photograph, she can also point out herself in others, and this allows us to have at least momentary flickers of conversations about what her life was like then. There is no question that even if the effect may be only temporary, she is more alert afterwards and seems more connected to the world around her.

The book is essential reading for anyone with much older relatives whether they have dementia or not and in my view, should be in the current school reading curriculum. It could so easily be used as a basis for projects to connect children with their older relatives and bring real benefit, meaning and pleasure to both groups.

You can buy the book here

Image: Julie Vivas for Mem Fox