Young onset dementia book for children

The Memory Journeys is a highly engaging graphic story for children aged 6-9 who have a parent with young onset dementia.  The book tackles the difficulties faced by both children and parents affected, following the journey of dementia and the changes in behaviours and roles.  

The key aims of the book are:

• To act as a tool to prompt and enable discussion between parent and child about changes in behaviour; 
• To demystify dementia;
• To destigmatise emotional and mental health problems so that children are better able to understand and ask for help;
• To encourage children to embark upon their own journeys equipped with the sense that there is a way forward.

Max is a young boy who lives with his parents.  His mother has told him that his father is not well and that things may change with his relationship with his father because of this.  Max and his father have always done things together such as camping, fishing and cycling.  Max was worried that as his father was not well that they would no longer be able to enjoy such adventures.  Nothing however was further from the truth.  

The nature of Max’s father’s illness is that he starts to forget things, loses things, gets confused easily and sometimes doesn’t recognise places or people.  Because of this he spends more time in the home and they both therefore go on imaginary journeys together which feel very real to Max’s father.  

This book can be used not only for dementia, but also other mental health conditions as the word “dementia” is not mentioned within the book.  

The book is also supported by an education toolkit which can be used alongside the book.  The toolkit includes games and puzzles.  There is also a prompt sheet for the parent sitting with the child pointing out various aspects within the book that you may want to elaborate upon.

Our thanks to poweredbypie for sponsoring the production and publishing of this book.