The Ally Bally Bee project was launched by the Äikäs-Adams family in Edinburgh, after they were told that the grandmother of Nina Äikäs was diagnosed with dementia. Nina Äikäs, at the time pregnant, was trying to come to terms with the troubling situation, especially when thinking about how she would communicate this to her child. Hence, the Ally Bally Bee project begun.
A True Bond
There is no denying that when there is a bond between a grandparent and a grandchild, there is little that will break that bond. Grandparents can have various roles in the child's life, from being their guardian during the day when the parents are at work, to being a life coach who shares their life knowledge and experiences with their grandchild. A recent survey brought a devastating figure to light that up to 810,000 people in the UK, aged over 65 suffer from dementia, with a predicted forecast that this will rise up to 2 million by 2051*. Symptoms of this condition include memory loss and confusion. In some cases, though memories are still there, elements of that memory are lost or are transferred to another memory, as illustrated in the book by organised jars that then become muddled up or misplaced.
So how do the books help children be more aware of dementia?
The aim from the beginning was to create a personalised book, specific to each child. Sections of text in the book would include family member's names, and through visual creatives, help the child to better interpret their loved family member's current condition. The personalisation does not stop there; the Äikäs-Adams family also thought that it would be beneficial for the families to have the option to add in the specific behaviours of the dementia-sufferer, again maximising the child's chance of having a better understanding of the condition and how to support their loved family member.
If you would like to find out more about the inspiring Ally Bally Bee project or perhaps to enquire about purchasing a book, click here.
Golden Charter: Supporting the awareness of dementia in society
Living with dementia can be a lonely experience and so, support from family and friends whether in the form of memory triggering through old photographs or simply helping around the house, can be really beneficial. At Golden Charter we are in support of the charity Dementia Friends who were set up to alter the public's perception of dementia and promote inclusion. So far they have succeeded in a whole range of projects designed to better people's understanding of dementia and how they might be able to help someone living with dementia.
Sometimes those with Dementia require someone to act on their behalf for more challenging decisions regarding finances or health, which is why Golden Charter promote the importance of having a Power of Attorney in place.
A Power of Attorney is vital in ensuring the trusted person you'd like to make these decisions will have the authority to do so. We hope it will never be needed but it is a great safety net just in case.
statistics from Alzheimer's UK 2017
