A Mother and Son’s Photographic Journey Through Dementia @TED @TEDx #shorts #tedxtalks

Mom was losing her short-term memory,

but was better recalling her younger years.

I'd ask, and she would tell me stories.

I listened, and I was her audience.

I got ideas. I wrote them down, and I sketched them out.

I showed her what to do by acting out the scenarios myself.

We would then stage them.

So she posed,

and I learned more about photography.

Mom loved the process, the acting.

She felt worthy again, she felt wanted and needed.

With any Alzheimer's, dementia, there's  

a certain amount of frustration and sadness for everyone involved.

But to balance off all the difficulties, we played.

That was Mom's happy place.

And I needed her to be there, too.