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“Honey, I don’t know who you are but thank God you’ve come. We haven’t had music around this place for years,” cried Mrs Young one afternoon, as I arrived with a small guitar strapped to my back and a cart full of drums, rattles, and tambourines rolling behind me.
“What’s your name?” asked Mrs Hall, looking absently into my brown eyes.
I smiled at the two women. I’ve known both for almost a decade.
I’ve kept a bi-weekly appointment with this group of memory care residents for 12 years, and have witnessed the gradual and relentless disease of Alzheimer’s take an unbearable toll on them and their families. The emotional, physical, spiritual, and financial costs are excruciatingly high.
Claire Young and her baby daughter Willow Young who was born in 2020
- Credit: Claire Young
Mums-to-be and new mums have been feeling the pressure during the global Covid pandemic, with many admitting they have felt isolated and alone on their new journey.
At the start of Maternal Mental Health Awareness Week, mums from Suffolk have spoken about coping with the baby blues to more serious conditions including postnatal depression and postnatal anxiety.
These challenges have been exacerbated by the pandemic, with many mums-to-be also struggling with their mental health before the birth of their child.
Claire Young pictured with her daughter Willow who was born in July 2020, and her son Heath
Claire Young and her baby daughter Willow Young who was born in 2020
- Credit: Claire Young
Mums-to-be and new mums have been feeling the pressure during the global Covid pandemic, with many admitting they have felt isolated and alone on their new journey.
At the start of Maternal Mental Health Awareness Week, mums from Suffolk have spoken about coping with the baby blues to more serious conditions including postnatal depression and postnatal anxiety.
These challenges have been exacerbated by the pandemic, with many mums-to-be also struggling with their mental health before the birth of their child.
Claire Young pictured with her daughter Willow who was born in July 2020, and her son Heath