Book Description

Dancing with Memories is a children's picture book about living well with dementia. Lucy lives with dementia - she wishes she didn't, but she does. S She is full of life and determination and although less competent than before, Lucy but can still do a lot. "My brain has changed", she says, "but I am still Lucy." Lucy knows her brain doesn't work like it used to, but doesn't always understand the implications. This leads to adventures and challenges. One adventure happens the day of her granddaughter's wedding. Lucy is to be picked up for the wedding by her daughter but decides to make her own way on the bus. Lucy becomes lost and confused on her way to the wedding. She is in danger of missing the wedding altogether! After a frustrating few hours, she finds her way home through the kindness and attentiveness of people in her community, including ten-year-old Reuben and his kelpie, Rejy. Lucy does make it to her granddaughter's wedding. Dancing with Memories focuses on wellbeing rather than deficit. It re-envisions what's possible by enjoying people living with dementia, more than fixating on what is lost. It is generative, not despairing; it informs and empowers. It centres on a community aware of the respectful support people living with dementia need and deserve - a dementia-friendly community, where people take time to notice, listen and act. Supported by Professor Ralph Martins' Q&A and Maggie Beer's healthy lunchboxes, Dancing with Memories provides a platform to raise awareness, alleviate fears and facilitate conversation with children around brain health. It highlights the importance of a life-long healthy diet and lifestyle, and empowers children to engage with hope and intent in the growing social challenge of dementia.