Pole Theatre Germany Professional Drama Winner 2017 Lorna Walker

This piece is called Living with Dementia My name is Lorna and in June this year I lost my dad to the heartbreaking disease of Dementia. During his 10 years of suffering I cared for him. This piece depicts a snapshot of a typical day living with Dementia. Towards the end, my dad was nursed in a nursing home. I visited daily, often entering the home to a warm smile from the nurses, some hope, excitement but also fear of what I might find that day. Mustering the courage to enter through the door, the smell would hit me, but with anticipation, I’d rush to see how my dad was. Today he is not responsive, despite my best efforts of communicating, he stares through me or barely lifts his head to acknowledge me. I give up, I try again, I just wait. The frustration builds, the anger, the despair, why doesn’t he know I’m there? But maybe he feels the same? Ultimately I have a choice, to end the heartache and stop my visits, but deep down I believe he’s reaching out to me too! Ultimately this journey give