ABSTRACT

Evening falls. In a neat house in a pleasant neighbourhood an elderly woman prepares for bed. As she changes into her nightdress and picks out fresh clothes for the morning, her demeanour changes. She begins to mutter, then shout. Her words are sometimes muffled, but include a man’s name, followed by a string of self-directed obscenities, ‘You slag; you bitch; you dirty whore; you fucking cunt’, repeated over and over. As the litany continues she begins to hit out – striking walls, furniture and herself with equal ferocity. She punches her face with clenched fist, leaving bruises. As her voice rises higher, the bedroom door opens. A younger woman appears and stands in the doorway urging the older woman to quieten down and to come downstairs – to watch TV, drink cocoa, anything that will take her away from her memories and bring her back to the present. After a few minutes the older woman becomes calmer and does indeed come downstairs, joining the other residents and staff. But the same pattern is repeated night after night.