A musician has spent five years crafting an emotional song dedicated to her mum who died from dementia.
Amanda Lehmann, from Taverham, wrote ‘Memory Lane’ based on her mother’s journey into vascular dementia.
Her mother, Ann Goodwin, died from the condition in 2016, aged 80, five years after the diagnosis.
Ms Lehmann, who has toured the world with former Genesis guitarist Steve Hackett, began writing the song after visiting her mother.
She said: “I started to write the song part of the way through my mum’s illness. It began when I was feeling really upset on my way back from her house.
“I pulled into the lay-by and just let the emotions come out. I then got a bit of paper out and scribbled down a few lines of the song.”
Ms Lehmann said songwriting was “cathartic” and helped her cope with difficult emotions.
She said: “It really helped me get all the feelings out. It was really difficult for everybody involved to witness that happen to someone you love.
“I wanted to illustrate the battle that goes on for both the person suffering from dementia, and the people close who are affected by it.
“All our experiences will be different, but there seem to be common themes, and I really do feel that sharing my experience in the form of a song is something that will help people who are – or have been – in a similar position.”
The song took five-years to complete, which Ms Lehmann said grew alongside her mother’s condition.
She said: “I did not write it quickly and it is quite a journey of a song. It really was a project that went through the dementia with my mum.”
In addition to paying tribute to her mother, Ms Lehmann hopes the song will raise awareness around dementia.
She said: “I don’t think people talk about it that much and it affects a lot of people.
“Most of all, I hope that the song will strike a note with people who have loved ones who are suffering with dementia. I hope the song makes them feel less alone.
“Although the song is sad, it’s a bit like watching a sad movie. You might cry but at the end you feel better. It’s cathartic.”
Memory Lane was released in September to mark World Alzheimer’s Month and is available on YouTube.
You can watch it here.
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