Joe Dolman | Close To Home - Acoustic HD

Song written and performed by Joe Dolman. Produced by Matt Waddell/Joe Dolman. Digital Release: 23rd February 2018. While I was studying at college, my mum was working as a nurse and had been doing so for as long as I could remember. On the days I finished class early, I would walk to the hospice and wait for my mum to finish her shift and get a lift home with her, rather than taking the bus. My mum looked after a lot of patients with dementia, many of them suffered from Alzheimer’s. While I was waiting for my mum to finish her shift, I would walk around the hospice, sit in the lounge area and i’d often find myself just watching her patients as well as talking to their families from time to time. One man on the ward was visited regularly by a lot of his family; in fact every time I was there i’d see a lot of familiar faces.. however it became clear very quickly to me that these people did not seem familiar to him at all. The severity of his alzheimer’s put him in a horrible place... Aware he must have been unwell and aware he was being taken care of - but not familiar with anybody or anything around him, why he needed taking care of or how much he relied on nurses like my mum for the simplest of things in his day. He often was frustrated at the nurses working on the ward and would raise his voice at them saying they are wasting their time, he doesn’t need their help and there are people on the ward who require their services much more than him. It was heartbreaking to see even from my perspective; a complete outsider, that the pieces of somebody’s mind could be so muddled up and he didn’t even notice. Close To Home is a song I wrote about this whole situation and when it came to making a video for it; I wanted to try and do what I could to raise awareness about dementia, and hopefully get people talking about the illness more. Dementia effects everybody surrounding the person who is suffering from it, and can be very hard for everyone involved to come to terms with and cope. I hope that people who watch this video who are dealing with something like this find some comfort, and everyone (whether you have experienced something like this with someone you care about) helps spread the word about it, and the amazing charities that work so hard to support, educate and care for so many people dealing with dementia. We know there isn’t a cure for dementia yet, but by talking openly and being there for one another.. We don’t have to go through it alone. x www.alzheimers.org.uk www.dementiauk.org www.alz.org Lyrics Am I a million miles away? My mind’s up in the clouds of grey, Will I be on my feet some day, We’ll see Because I don’t hear what people say, I’ve never felt so far away, but please don’t let your patience fray, With me Cos i’m making the most of all i’ve got Some things have stayed and some things have not Like the way your heart strings play the perfect tune, The way you brighten up the room, You make me feel close to home But whe