The Loss of Identity through illness

The following are photography projects regarding the death/decline in the health of the father figure. These have inspired me and have been thought provoking in that it documents the process of the loss of identity, which is particularly impacting when a connection is made with the subject through backstory etc. To me, this is an interesting route, as it takes the concept of identity from a slightly different perspective.

http://www.brionycampbell.com/projects/the-dad-project/
http://www.ajaber.com/documentary/1479
http://content.time.com/time/photogallery/0,29307,2025279_2199295,00.html
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/health/article-3119923/Living-life-Alzheimer-s-Photographer-s-touching-images-document-father-s-four-year-struggle-active-grandfather-man-no-longer-remember-son-s-name.html

Alternative Route - The birth of child/Identity: http://www.thereluctantfather.com/

Dementia: The word dementia describes a set of symptoms that may include memory loss and difficulties with thinking, problem-solving or language. Dementia is caused when the brain is damaged by diseases, such as Alzheimer's disease or a series of strokes.

Alzheimers: Alzheimer's disease is a neurological disorder in which the death of brain cells causes memory loss and cognitive decline. A neurodegenerative type of dementia, the disease starts mild and gets progressively worse.

http://www.markseymourphotography.co.uk/dementia/

• Would be interesting to look at the decline of the awareness of the sense of self.
• Possible links/access into to the subject: Josh's Grandad (victim), Jack's girlfriend's mum (works with dementia patients), Dad's friend Steve - works in Dementia Care homes.

"Your memories and experiences are what you are, and when you have no access to it you feel kind of lost, and when you lose your memories, you lose yourself."

 
quicksand from Lance Oppenheim on Vimeo.

Stats:

• By 2015 there will be 850,000 people with dementia in the UK.
• There are 40,000 younger people with dementia in the UK.
• There are 25,000 people with dementia from black and minority ethnic groups in the UK.
• There will be 1 million people with dementia in the UK by 2025.
• Two thirds of people with dementia are women.
• The proportion of people with dementia doubles for every five-year age group.
• One in six people aged 80 and over have dementia.
• 60,000 deaths a year are directly attributable to dementia.
• Delaying the onset of dementia by five years would reduce deaths directly attributable to dementia by 30,000 a year.
• The financial cost of dementia to the UK is £26 billion per annum.
• There are 670,000 carers of people with dementia in the UK.
• Family carers of people with dementia save the UK £11 billion a year.
• 80 per cent of people living in care homes have a form of dementia or severe memory problems.
• Two thirds of people with dementia live in the community while one third live in a care home.
• Only 44% of people in the UK receive a dementia diagnosis

https://www.alzheimers.org.uk/statistics