I try to keep up to date with creative dementia programs around the world. This helps in my understanding of my mother’s disease and the making of our film, Portrait of Noni. My mother died last August and even though I no longer look after her and I no longer have to deal with dementia, I will always be my mother’s carer and dementia will always be important in my research studies in relation to photography and moving image portraiture and technology.
I attended the House of Memories workshop to assist in a funding proposal for satellite HOMs at demential cafes in deprived areas of the northwest. Dementia academics from Liverpool University together with program directors at Liverpool Museum’s HOM set up the discussion with individuals from general public who have used the HOM and care for or live with dementia.
Seven questions were put to the group of eight attendees, including myself. The questions covered issues we may have had with HOM, what we thought about satellite HOMs and how to encourage people to attend from deprived and ethnic minority backgrounds, how and where satellite HOMs could be promoted in these areas, the ethics involved with not delivering satellite HOMs to a random selection of deprived areas in order to quantify the effect of services to people who had access to satellite HOMs with those who had none. And lastly, would we be available for ongoing research every quarter when and if the program is financed and rolled out next spring.
Ginger Liu is the founder of Ginger Media & Entertainment
