In the article, OT's Role in Helping Kids Understand Dementia, Mandy Chamberlain talks about Kathryn Harrison, an author of a children's book that helps children understand Alzheimer's and dementia. I was intrigued by this article because I had a great grandmother with Alzheimer's who passed away when I was only 5 and thinking back on my faint memories of her, I now understand the difficulties she was going through with Alzheimer's. I think it's important for there to be a children's resources like this for parents to turn to when their own parent is diagnosed with a form of dementia. If you think about the population of people older than 60, the likelihood of them having a young grandchild is probably pretty high. Having a children's book that explains this complicated disorder in a way that children can understand is not only further educating the family, but can help the client's relationship with their young grandchildren, which is something many people find meaningful.
I love how Kathryn Harrison explains from a personal standpoint how her kids were involved in her mothers life, even when she was in a nursing home. It really shows how health care professionals can impact not only the client, but their family as well. The nurses would teach her children (I'm sure with supervision) how to work the bed and explained what they were doing when taking vitals. This not only could potentially grow a health care professional out of those children but made the client feel included and that her family truly understood her situation.
This was a great article for people that have a parent with a form of dementia and young children as well; as described in the article, the "sandwich generation". I would love to read the book and see how it bridges the gap between young children and their grandparents with dementia.
Reference
Chamberlain, M. (2016, April 15). OT's role in helping kids understand dementia. Retrieved from https://www.seniorsflourish.com/kidsanddementia/
