Care Homes and Schools Unite to Help Children Talk About Dementia
Care homes across England are welcoming local schoolchildren through their doors and taking residents and staff into classrooms, as part of the national launch of ‘The Books on Grandpa’s Shelf’, a new illustrated children’s book designed to help young readers understand and talk about dementia within their own families.
The book uses a simple, heartfelt story to help children understand a grandparent’s dementia diagnosis, created with Cinnamon Care Collection’s dementia coaches, reviewed by the National Dementia Care Accreditation Scheme and supported by adventurer and dementia advocate Louis Alexander. It is being shared through events between care home residents and pupils from local schools across the UK, with more planned over the coming months.
The book follows Lily, a young girl who notices her grandfather beginning to forget things. Through a conversation with her mother, Lily learns to picture her grandfather’s memories as books on a giant shelf: some easy to find, some mislabelled, some harder to reach, but none of them erasing the love between them. Together, Lily and her grandfather find new ways to connect.
At each event, pupils meet residents, hear the story read aloud, receive a video introduction from Louis Alexander and take part in a reading and Q&A, giving children a chance to ask questions about dementia in a familiar setting. At Merriman Grange in Worthing,18 year six pupils from St John the Baptist Primary School spent the morning with residents.
Mrs Corrine Welby, Deputy Head Teacher, said: “It was incredibly kind to be invited by Merriman Grange to hear their story, ‘The Books on Grandpa’s Shelf’. This is a beautifully written tale which helps children develop an understanding of why loved ones with dementia may become forgetful. It also serves as a good reminder for adults that those living with dementia need immense patience, compassion and love.”
School reading sessions have taken place across the country, including visits at Heathcote Primary School in Warwickshire (with Oakley Grange Care Home), Westways School in Yorkshire (with Outram Fields Care Home), Trinity C of E Primary School in Devon (with Watermeadow Grange Care Home), Netley Abbey Junior School in Southampton (with Netley Court Care Home), Ferndown Hopscotch Pre-School in Dorset (with Heathland House Care Home), and Hextable Primary School in Kent (with Emerson Grange Care Home).
Upcoming reading sessions are also confirmed at Jubilee High School in Surrey with Rivermede Court Care Home, alongside further planned readings across the remaining Cinnamon Care Collection homes.
Almost one million people in the UK are living with dementia, according to Alzheimer’s Society, and that number is projected to reach 1.4 million by 2040. For many children, a grandparent’s diagnosis will be their first experience of the condition.
Sarah F, Group Dementia Lead at Cinnamon Care Collection, said: “Children notice when something changes in someone they love and without the right words they can be left confused or worried. Seeing pupils sit with our residents, ask honest questions and realise that their grandparent is still the person they love has shown us how much difference an open, age-appropriate conversation makes.”
The book was originally developed by Cinnamon Care Collection’s dementia coaches at Hartwood House and Home Admissions Advisor, Charlotte Dean, drawing on real experience of supporting families through a dementia diagnosis.
The book opens with a foreword from Louis Alexander, world record-holding adventurer and Cinnamon Care Collection’s Brand Ambassador. At just 27, Alexander is the first person in history to complete marathons on all seven continents and swim marathons in all seven seas. His connection to dementia is personal: his grandfather, a former Army serviceman, was diagnosed with dementia in his 50s before he could fulfil his dream of climbing Mount Kilimanjaro. Louis made the climb himself shortly after finishing school, in tribute to his grandfather, a journey that launched his career as a professional adventurer.
Louis said: “Dementia can change memories, conversations and the way someone behaves and, as a result, change the lives of those around them too. But I learned that even when dementia changes a person’s world, it does not erase the love between people. That is an important message for children to understand.”
The launch of The Books on Grandpa’s Shelf comes as Cinnamon Care Collection homes take part in the National Dementia Care Accreditation Scheme (NaDCAS), one of the first groups of care providers in the UK to do so. The scheme recognises providers who go above and beyond to deliver outstanding, person-centred dementia care, and several Cinnamon homes have achieved the accreditation, with the remainder working towards it.
Sam Dondi-Smith, Chief Executive, National Dementia Care Accreditation Scheme, commented: “Dementia can be a difficult subject to explain to a child and this book does it with real warmth and simplicity. It keeps the focus on the person, the relationship and the love that endures, which is exactly what families need when they are starting these conversations. We are delighted to see it reaching children through events in care homes and schools.”
