Lyrics (Article below lyrics)
| Verse 1 | Hey, did you hear about Bill? He has dementia He was goin’ downhill Swimming gave him direction When he felt like giving in He just kept on swimming |
| Chorus 1 | His body & soul, his mind & heart Make him who he is, he’s a work of art He’s a work of art When he feels like giving in He just keeps on swimming |
| Verse 2 | Now did you hear about Kay? The man she married has dementia She was losing her way Music found expression When she felt like giving in She just kept on singing |
| Chorus 2 | Her body & soul, her mind & heart Make her who she is, she’s a work of art She’s a work of art When she feels like giving in She just keeps on singing |
| Verse 3 | And what about you If dementia came to you? Will you go downhill Lose your way Or make the most of every day If you felt like giving in Will you sink or keep on swimming |
| Chorus 3 | Your body & soul, your mind & heart Make you who you are, you’re a work of art You’re a work of art When you feel like giving in Will you sink or keep on swimming? When you feel like giving in Will you sink or keep on swimming? |
Bill is a Work of Art
When Bill Yeates was diagnosed with Younger Onset Alzheimer’s Disease in 2019, he slipped into a
period of darkness. Fortunately, he didn’t give up. His family and friends didn’t give up on him
either. Bill realised that living with dementia was going to be challenging, but life was too precious
to be given up without a fight.
Bill had previously been a volunteer surf lifesaver but, at the time of his diagnosis, dementia had
impacted on his motor skills so much that he found it very difficult to swim in the surf. He dared to
dream of learning to swim well again so that he could return to surf lifesaving. Then came the hard
work; a structured neuro-cognitive training program and regular swim training. Whenever Bill felt it
was difficult, and thoughts of giving up crept in, he was reminded of the advice that a past student
(Alison) had given him, “just keep swimming”. Incredibly, Bill succeeded. He learned to swim well
enough to compete in international Masters swimming & surf lifesaving events.
But there was more to life than swimming, more than a better functioning body. Bill wanted to
develop a holistic approach to living well with dementia which would rebuild and nurture his body,
mind, heart and soul. Bill’s entire concept of ‘self’ changed as he researched and developed his
holistic approach, his Tree of Awakening Your Positivity (Tree).
Bill is evolving with dementia. He is creative, dynamic and unique; Bill is a work of art.
Kay Hughes & Jon Leslie recently completed a song (Work of Art) inspired by Bill, and his Tree. Work
of Art asks listeners to think about how they may respond if dementia comes to them and invites us
to see ourselves as works of art, whether or not we experience dementia.
As of this writing, it is 4 years since Bill created his Tree.
To celebrate this milestone, Kay & Jon are gifting “Work of Art”. They hope that it helps people to see
it’s possible to live well with dementia, and – perhaps – see ourselves as works of art.
good medicine Kay!