A multidisciplinary team from Teesside University has created a new platform to help children understand dementia.
Grandad Forgot My Name is a series of interactive support materials, which evolved from work by academics in its School of Health & Life Sciences.
They then worked with colleagues across the university to come up with the resources which will differ when accessed by a child; by someone who’s been diagnosed with dementia; or someone just trying to learn more about it.
“We are sharing the free resources far and wide, in the local region and across the internet, so that it can be accessed by as many families and individuals as possible who it might help,” said Project lead, Dr Rhys Williams, Senior Lecturer in Forensic Science in the University’s School of Health & Life Sciences.
“Our team has come together to produce storylines around key elements of dementia pastoral care. The artwork by Alexandra aimed to make the stories visually appealing and open to all readers. The responses we’ve received so far have been very positive.
“We aim to help provide information and interaction to help bridge that generational gap, developing a resource that is easy for children to access and understand.”
Also involved in the project are Dr Kamar Ameen-Ali, Senior Lecturer in Biomedical Science; Natalie Blake, Lecturer in Games Art; and Alexandra Hoekstra, forensic science student and artist.
Over 57m around the world have been diagnosed with dementia.
