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Hilda’s Story: New Bedford, Massachusetts (Before Today: Reminiscing & Connecting)
By Siobhan McDonald
“When I was a little girl I had two ducks named Alex and Cleo”
A dozen tentatively hopeful faces looked at me as I began my story. It was at a Memory Care facility in Massachusetts. I had just packed up from a Visual Arts workshop I provided as an outside vendor. While preparing to say good-bye, I realized these elderly adults with varying stages of Alzheimer’s and related dementia were just going to be sitting around for the next half-hour while they waited for lunch. The volunteer who usually provided an ‘in-between’ Daily News activity was out for the day.
I just couldn’t leave them in that space of nothingness. We had just connected on such a lively level, looking at works of art using Visual Thinking Strategies, painting with watercolors, and coloring for relaxation.
So I told them a story from my childhood.
When I got back into my car I was practically giddy. I knew what I wanted to do: make storybooks and picture books for seniors with dementia! I imagined using a basic storyline, vintage photographs, and questions that could act as “prompts” so that a caregiver, whether staff or family, could pull the book off the shelf and have a ready-made activity and way to build a conversation.
Available on Amazon
I’d worked long enough in this space to know there was a need for a book like this. But I also had personal experience. My father-in-law, my uncle, and now an aunt, have all had Alzheimer’s.
When my father-in-law was diagnosed with early Alzheimer’s I was terrified. Papa was such a giant of a man; loving, hardworking, and full of life and laughter. The decline was slow and painful and I look back with sadness at how my fear kept me away.
A Warm Connection
I just didn’t know how to interact with him and I didn’t know how to help my children interact. When I wrote my book, one of my first thoughts was how nice it would have been to have been able to hand a book to my twelve year old and just have him read a story with his Papa.
It’s been many years since that early sad introduction to Alzheimer’s and I am much more hopeful about the work being done by so many people. They are working to make sure we stay connected as much as possible to our fellow humans dealing with dementia as a diagnosis.
I love the Memory Cafe movement and participate as often as possible!
Siobhan McDonald
Siobhan McDonald
President, Granger St. Studios
Granger St. Studios is a business focused on building communication using Visual Art. Siobhan taught Visual Arts in public schools for over twenty years. She is an artist, mother of two grown children, and “Vovó” (Grandma, in Portuguese.) Siobhan and her husband live in Massachusetts.
Siobhan has provided Professional Development locally and presented workshops at summer studios both in and out of state.
She was a member of the Education Advisory Board at the Museum of Fine Arts in Boston for four years. She has a B.F.A. (Studio Art) from Montserrat College of Art and a M.Ed. (Arts and Learning) from Endicott College.
Currently, Siobhan is in the process of becoming a Certified Dementia Practitioner.
Connect with Siobhan
- Instagram: @GrangerStreetStudios
- Facebook: @GrangerStreetStudios
- Website: www.GrangerStreetStudios.com
Siobhan McDonald’s book, Hilda’s Story: New Bedford, Massachusetts (Before Today: Reminiscing & Connecting) is available on Amazon.
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