Keeping mum: Norfolk photographer documents mother's dementia with 20,000 pictures

- Watch a full report from ITV News Anglia's Rob Setchell.

When Janice Middleton was diagnosed with dementia she was desperate to find a way of helping others in her position.

With the help of her son, she found it. Paul Bayfield is a professional photographer and together they began documenting the disease and the impact it had on her.

Three years and 20 thousand pictures later, the project has become Janice's legacy.

She died last month but the photos taken of her final years are already being studied to see if they can inform and improve palliative care techniques.

"We thought there's no way of treating dementia," said Paul. "There's no cure for dementia, so what can we do?

"We can try and learn and we can try and do something good with this terrible situation."

Paul Bayfield took more than 20,000 photographs for the project. Credit: Paul Bayfield

For months, Paul captured every heartbreaking moment, every painful appointment. He moved in and become his mum's main carer.

As the condition worsened, Janice needed respite care. She'd stopped speaking and didn't always recognise her son.

But he kept visiting, all through the first Covid lockdown, and he kept taking pictures.

Paul considers one photograph, taking through the patio door of her care home in Dereham, the most powerful.

Paul Bayfield took pictures of his mum through the doors of her care home. Credit: Paul Bayfield

"I looked up and saw my hand print and I saw her turning around," he said.

"I took the photograph. That's one that when I look at it means a lot to me. It puts me back at that moment.

"It brings frustration back but I hope others can empathise with this. Perhaps others are going through this right now and they'll realise they're not alone."

When Janice stopped eating, Paul even started having his dinner on the other side of the door. It sparked her memory - and she began taking meals again.

"I got to spend every day with my mum," he said. "She taught me how to use a spoon and now I find myself doing exactly the same thing for her. It was a really beautiful feeling.

Janice died, in her son's arms, last month.

Paul hopes the picture essay, titled Keeping Mum, will become an educational resource for those who care for dementia patients.