The story of ‘Take Care’ centres on the working life of Katie, a carer for people living with dementia who is new on the job. Words by Cindy Oswin and music by Douglas Finch create a tapestry of humour and pathos, moving from comforting refrains of ‘tea and toast’ to frightening loss of identity, confusion, frustration and loneliness. The piece captures these often chaotic emotional contrasts as well as moments of insight and love in the carer’s everyday working life.

We follow Katie visiting her clients: Myrtle, well-off but lonely – troubled and confused by her relationship with her daughter; Joyce, often irascible, who used to feel great love and tenderness towards her husband Harry, but now hardly recognises him; Harry, proud of the work he used to do as a coal miner, now lamenting his growing physical frailty and his wife’s decline; and Eileen (represented by a puppet), in the late stages of dementia and at the end of life, but calm and content, spending much of her waking hours singing hymns.

The purpose of the opera is to portray the highs and lows of caring for someone with dementia, to create a greater understanding and appreciation of that role, both in the carers themselves and in the wider community. The innovative use of opera in Take Care’ elevates elevate this essential role through music, libretto, performance and staging.