Jason Crowley started taking pictures of his nana about 5 years ago when doctors told her she had Alzheimers (she was 92 at that time). The photo-project became a way to keep their bond strong
His work caught attention of experts and won the Bob and Diane Fund Award which helps artists show stories about memory-loss diseases; the fund has been doing this work since early 2010s. “To have the support of an organization that cares so deeply about something so important and personal is truly special“ says Crowley
There is both love and pain contained in this story; the Crowley familys love for Nana is visible as well as their pain seeing her slowly fade
At first Crowley took planned photos of his grandma but things changed when she hurt her hip and moved to a care home. He started taking pics of everything: the move nurses other patients daily routines - it all became part of their shared experience
The photo sessions turned into something more than just taking pictures (his grandma sometimes takes photos of him too). When they look at prints together she tells him stories about her life: “Its really about getting to know her through these moments‚“ Crowley explains - they found a special way to keep memories alive even as some start to slip away