Heart and Soul by Matthew Phipps

Matthew takes his grandfather out on adventures to celebrate the last years of his life. The book deals with William Phipps' dementia and is also a rebellion against the current end of life system in the united states.

Heart and Soul

(The Time In-Between)

by Matthew Phipps

Heart and Soul is a photobook about William Phipps, father and grandfather, and his struggle 

with dementia and the end of life. The book follows him from the 2015 death of Velma, his wife of 70 years, until the time of his passing in 2018. The photographs are supplemented with texts by me, his grandson, Matthew Phipps. The death of my grandmother sparked my desire to take “Grampy” out on as many adventures as possible….out for ice cream, an afternoon at the lake, or a drive down a country road searching for small towns and big adventures. 

This document is a testament to the power of living in the moment, five minutes at a time. Grampy’s long term memory was still present for the most part, but his short term memory was all but gone. Like many others, my father often didn’t see the point in investing time and money in adventures with Grampy since he couldn't remember what we had done that day. This is when the life lesson started revealing itself to me.

People often experience anger and frustration with their dementia, but Grampy never suffered with this. Even if he was confused, he would always pull out a genuinely excited smile for whatever you were going to tell him.  He was always down for the ride…Always down for the action. We would be driving through the countryside and in his Oklahoma twang he would say, “I don’t know where I am, but I am sure enjoying it”. Never once doubting his safety or his location, Grampy and his dementia showed me how to connect with the moment more profoundly. The final lesson he taught me was to live in the present and enjoy every moment, even if it is a fleeting memory. 

This work highlights the small moments of joy that are so important when facing a diagnosis like dementia. It is my hope and desire that this will stimulate the conversation, creating awareness to highlight the need for more research and funding to help find a cure. All with the idea of improving the lives of these patients and families. Heart and Soul has been presented in Ciudad de México, New York, Barcelona and Marseille during 2025. It is published in English and Español.