Forget Me Not
Dementia is one of the leading causes of disability worldwide, yet many people still struggle to understand the experience of those who suffer. By using forget Me Not flowers as a metaphor for the plaques and tangles prominent in the brain during the progression of Alzheimer's Disease, stigmas are broken and the process can be viewed as something beautiful, rather than abstract and intimidating.
People want to be recognized for who they are, not the disease that they have. Memory Boxes incorporate the life of the individual, while also providing people suffering from Alzheimer's with a practical memory exercise. Acknowledging life pre-diagnosis is essential to providing the most comfortable experience possible for the patient.
Three illustrated posters of my grandmother, Mary Kay, throughout her life. Hand-crafted flowers that increase in number as her Alzheimer's progresses.
Flowers
In short, Alzheimer's Disease is caused when Amylois plaques form clusters in the spaces between nerve cells in the brain. Knots of brain cells called neurofibrillary tangles also form in the brain. By using Forget Me Not flowers as a metaphor for these plaques and tangles, stigmas are broken and the process can be viewed as something beautiful, rather than abstract and intimidating.
Sticker of a painted Forget-Me-Not Flower
Memory Boxes
As the disease progresses, there comes a time when it's hard to communicate with the patient. However, it is possible to trigger moments of recollection. By doing so, the person is given a moment of clarity and will oftentimes remember moments that they had not in months or even years. By utilizing the senses as recollection tools, Memory Boxes provide people suffering from dementia with a practical memory exercise, while also incorporating personal aspects from their lives.
Memory Box for my grandmother, Mary Kay
Mary Kay as a grandmother
Mary Kay as a mother
Mary Kay as a student
Diagnosis
Everyone has their own story. Some people are diagnosed with dementia before there are obvious signs of the disease. Others are diagnosed years later when symptoms are already severely hindering their day-to-day routine. Often times, the initial reaction is one of fear or denial. Patients feel as though they will no longer be treated as equals and that their life has ended.
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"I'm very irritated. [Laughter.] I realize that I forget things and that I'm not always completely with it, but I feel like I still have enough intelligence, you know, to be a person, and not just someone you pat on the head as you go by..." Woman with Alzheimer's (88).