If Ipswich Library is to be our last library talk (and who knows – we are both so easily persuaded to do talks that it might not be!) this was a lovely way to "check" out. We were given the lecture theatre and a very responsive and appreciative audience who sighed and laughed in all the right places (yes, our talk does have funny elements to it).
Recently, we have had to adapt our talks to accommodate the change in Peter's condition. But, as Peter says, these changes do not mean we stop delivering our talks - we just find a solution to the problem. I believe we have done this by the introduction of our Q & A type sessions whereby I ask Peter questions in my best Parkinson voice which helps to steer him in the right direction. I have also learned the art of ad-libbing and adapting to unexpected changes in direction of the talk! In some ways this is a very experiential ‘in the moment' talk for the audience as they get the opportunity of seeing what it's like for Peter to navigate his thought processes and his journey of living with a memory impairment. It also means that every talk is slightly different: it’s a bit like a pick ‘n’ mix in that you never really know what you are going to get but you know it will be tasty and you certainly want to put your fingers back inside the bag and rummage about for some more!
Thank you to Charmain and her colleagues for organising this - and to everyone who attended and bought our books. Incredibly we sold out of the poetry books so, if anyone is reading this who was at the talk, "Walk With Me: Musings through the Dementia Fog" can be purchased on Amazon Walk With Me: Musings Through The Dementia Fog: Amazon.co.uk
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