CHILDREN across Stockton Borough are being helped to understand dementia thanks to an intriguing new picture storybook.
‘Lovely Old Lion’ tells the tale of an adult lion with dementia and how his grandson cub learns to deal with the changes in his behaviour due to the condition.
Pupils from Bowesfield Primary School visited Stockton Central Library yesterday morning (Thursday 17 September), where the book was read by author Julia Jarman.
In the afternoon, pupils from Mandale Mill Primary School visited the LiveWell Dementia Hub in Thornaby where they had a tour of the facility as well as a reading from Julia Jarman.
Councillor Jim Beall, Stockton-on-Tees Borough Council’s Cabinet Member for Adult Services and Health, said: “This book is a fantastic tool that I am sure children will find really helpful in understanding the changes they may see in a relative with dementia.
“Children can often be hurt by these changes in behaviour such as someone forgetting their name or acting differently toward them.
“Anything that can help children learn more about this difficult condition in such an engaging way will be a great addition to our range of dementia-friendly resources and will go a long way to help build awareness and understanding.”
The book has been published as part of a dementia awareness programme for children that has been devised in partnership between Stockton Libraries, Stockton Dementia Services Collaborative and Dementia Friendly Stockton.
For more information on the book and dementia resources available at Stockton Libraries, contact Karen Morris on 01642 526518 or karen.morris@stockton.gov.uk