'When You Were Superman' song remembers dad with dementia

A man who watched his dad who he idolised as a child, fade away as dementia took hold, has written a song about him called ‘When You Were Superman’.

The song, which raises money for the Alzheimer’s Society, was written by Colin Parish, ten years ago when his dad developed the condition. Mr Parish’s dad, Sidney Parish, died in 2005 and he was unable to sing the song for years, as it was too upsetting.

“My dad got dementia when he got to about 80 in 2002. He had always been staunchly independent but when the friend he spent most of his time with went into hospital for an operation it became clear that he had developed dementia, but she had been helping him, which helped him to mask his symptoms.

“With the help of the warden where he lived, I managed to look after him from a distance for a year or so, driving from London to Chatham three times a week to check on him and fill his fridge with the foods he liked.

“He went into a home for the last 18 months of his life where he was well looked after, and died in September 2005 just before his 83rd birthday,” he said.

The song which is sung by Mr Parish playing the ukulele, with animation by CreativeConnection, starts: ‘When I was a kid and you were Superman, there was nothing you couldn’t do’ and later on as his dad’s dementia worsens, he says: ‘Superman has forgotten nearly everything he knew’.

Mr Parish said: “I was teaching my son to tie his shoes as the man who taught me forgot how to tie his own. Although the realisation was heartbreaking, the song itself contains the hope that a cure for dementia can be found.”

His nephew Dan, who sings on the track, said: “Everybody knows someone affected by the disease. We want 800,000 people to see the video - one for everyone with dementia in the UK - and we hope that will encourage people to download the song, which will raise cash for the Alzheimer's Society.”

‘When You Were Superman’ can be downloaded from iTunes, Google Play, Amazon and www.massivedog.com with 25p from every sale going to the Alzheimer’s Society.