A love not diminished by time

At Enable and Thrive, we’re often asked to support as a Deputy for a client. This role is given when someone no longer has the mental capacity to make their own decisions, and there’s no one else—no family, no trusted person—already holding Power of Attorney.

One client’s story in particular, will stay with us forever. She had been moved into a care home after a long struggle with dementia and severe hoarding. Her home had fallen into a state of disrepair, and she had even been served with an environmental health notice. It was a heartbreaking reflection of how isolated and unsupported she had become.

As we carefully went through her property, most of what we found was damaged or beyond saving—paperwork soaked, chewed by rodents, left to decay. But then, in one cluttered room, at the bottom of a forgotten chest tied with old string, we found something extraordinary: a stack of old photographs, perfectly preserved.

It felt like a small miracle.

We bought a photo album and, with care, placed each photograph inside—images of a life once full of family, laughter, youth. There were pictures of her as a young girl, a radiant teenager, a graceful young woman. We knew these were more than just photos—they were pieces of her identity, fragments of memory that still lived somewhere deep inside.

When we brought the completed album to her at the care home, something incredible happened. As she turned the pages, her eyes lit up with recognition, and a softness came over her face.

“It’s like This Is Your Life,” she said with a quiet smile. Then, she reached a particular photo—and everything paused. “Oh Mum, my beautiful Mum,” she whispered, placing her trembling hand gently on the image. “I miss you so much. Oh, how I love you.”

Right there in that moment we felt so privileged to witness such a love, not diminished by time. A love spanning nearly a century. Literally breathtaking in its simplicity and sadness.

We felt humbled to be there. To have given her that moment. And in doing so, to remind her—if only for a short while—of the life she lived and the love she never lost.

At Enable and Thrive, we provide emotional support along with respectful care that considers the needs of the whole person, especially when others may overlook them.