An exhibition of poetry and drawings about the difficulties and distress of healthcare for the elderly.

What happens when health and social care professionals tell you that your parents are no longer well enough to look after themselves at home?

Originally exhibited at Sandy Hill Arts in Corfe Castle, Dorset in Summer ’24, the Voiceless Isolation exhibition takes its title from a new book of poems by Anne Murphy. The poems are Anne’s response to her own grief at the loss of family members, and her increasing frustration with the failing bureaucracy she faced when accessing care. The drawings in the exhibition are by Anne’s brother, illustrator Tony Kerins. They are not illustrations to the poems but rather his own parallel response to the same period of their lives.

‘I live a long way off, so I wasn’t involved in the same way as Anne. I was very aware that the burden of care fell primarily on her, especially after the loss of our brother. I’m not sure everyone will look kindly on these drawings, questioning whether I should have been doing them at all. My father was always supportive, but I think my mother would have been horrified. For me, drawing is both a way of facing difficult reality and a way of eluding it.’

This unique exhibition offers the audience two parallel artistic lenses through which we can try and comprehend the challenges faced by all those affected by deteriorating health in old age. It is hoped the story being told here will offer a chance to reflect on the many varied challenges and emotions that are experienced by families when navigating this journey.

‘The exhibition was so well received when presented at Sandy Hill, I felt that sharing this important piece of work with King's staff and students, particularly those of Old Age Psychiatry was the right thing to do. This exhibition offers viewers another perspective, and an opportunity to reflect on the positive impact of their research and the lived experiences of families and caregivers.’

Sarah Kerins, EEG Investigator, King's College London

Anne Murphy and Tony Kerins will talk about their work, with readings and Q&A, on Wednesday 28 May 2025 from 17.30 at the Education Hub, IoPPN.