'Why Can't Grammy Remember Me?' Teaches Kids About Dementia

One woman told me that she and her husband had to bring her mother into their home because her mother could no longer live alone. She said that they have struggled to explain to their eight-year-old daughter what was the situation with Grammy. I spoke to a children’s librarian in New Jersey who told me that she gets requests every month from parents looking for a book on the subject of dementia and grandchildren.

Many times the grandchildren think that they may have made Grammy angry and that is why she doesn’t speak to them or say their name. The kids feel guilty that they have done something wrong. One of the challenges for parents is finding a way to tell their children about Dementia, when in fact they don’t in many cases know anything themselves about the condition. Thus, it is difficult to describe to their children what is happening with Grammy.

The entire family should read this book. While the story was written for children ages 9 to 12, I believe all age levels can learn from this book. As knowledge and understanding grows within the family unit about dementia, the more the family can deal with this devastating disease. One of the medical professionals who read the book commented, “I like the mystery aspects of the story. It is both informative and entertaining.”

Recently, I was on my first tour for this book, and I was speaking in Cincinnati, Ohio, to 140 fourth graders about dementia and my book. I was surprised at the number of children who were aware of the problem. However, in reaction to my question, “Did they feel it was something they had done when Grammy didn’t call them by name or speak to them,” many hands lifted.

Mom and Dad often spend so much time dealing with the challenges of care that the grandchildren are many times forgotten. The parents aren’t even sure themselves as to the changes their parents are experiencing. In many cases, they don’t know what to say to the grandchildren about what is going on in Grammy’s brain. This book is designed to address these problems, but in a way from which I believe the whole family can enjoy and learn.

One thing that makes this book different comes at the end. I make 12 suggestions that a family can start doing right now to preserve the memory of their grandparents, aunts, and uncles. I’m sure there are many more things that families can come up with to protect the family’s memories.

Some families have several sets of grandparents for various reasons; I believe that all memories should be conserved for future generations. The future generations will be amazed by the things their older relations accomplished, but only if we preserve them today.

Dan’s book is available at online book sellers like Amazon and can be ordered through your local bookstore.

Dan Perkins is an author of both thrillers and children’s books. He appears on over 1,100 radio stations. Mr. Perkins appears regularly on international TV talk shows, he is current events commentator for seven blogs, and a philanthropist with his foundation for American veterans, Songs and Stories for Soldiers, Inc. More information about him, his writings, and other works are available on his website, DanPerkins.guru. To read more of his reports — Click Here Now.