Brendan’s photo brings dementia to light

OCEAN Grove’s Brendan Waites is on a mission to raise awareness of dementia after coming face to face with how the awful disease has affected his mum.

Mr Waites, owner of Ocean Grove Camera & Photo, said it was on Boxing Day when he saw up close for the first time what dementia could do to a person.

“A few months ago, my mum Janice was diagnosed with dementia,” Mr Waites said.

“Those who know mum know she is a person filled with kindness, laughter and friendliness, traits I hope she has passed on to me.”

Mr Waites said his mother had recently been placed into care, and over Christmas he was able to take her home to enjoy a visit from family and friends.

“It was great and mum enjoyed spending time with her family and a few of her grand kids,” he said.

“I volunteered to take her back to her place of care.

“It was then when my own mother became someone else.

“She was ‘gone’ and was replaced by a stranger – a violent, abusive stranger.

“As much as I tried to tell myself this was the dementia talking, it was incredibly difficult to see and hear my mum be this way.”

Mr Waites said he eventually had to walk away because it was too much.

“I had to leave my mum in a strange place, with nobody there she could recognise and nobody close to her.

“The incredible staff were fantastic and they knew what I had just experienced.

“I found my way out through cloudy eyes, got in my car and wept.

“I drove back to the support of my wife and family and just sat and stared for a while.”

Mr Waites said that evening he had to get out and do what he did best – take some photos.

“Mostly because photography is my thing, but probably more to distract myself from the day’s events,” he said.

“I drove with my wife Sally and my dog to Lake Tutchewop, close to Lake Boga in Victoria’s Mallee region”

Mr Waites said he captured a photo that now had a significant meaning to him, and that he wanted to share it and his story to raise more awareness of the terrible disease.

He has already raised more than $1,200 for Dementia Australia through the sale of his photo. To order a copy, head to cameraandphoto.com.au/pro_event.