How do you explain dementia to a six year old? The Ally Bally Bee Project is on a mission to make such difficult conversations a little easier with the world’s first personalised children’s book about dementia. Perhaps you want to explain Nana’s dementia to little Sophie or maybe you want to help little Leo understand why his Uncle sometimes acts the way he does. Well, The Ally Bally Bee Project is here to help.
The story behind the project Matthew Adams, Project Founder explains: “the idea of creating a personalised children’s book about dementia came to me about two years ago. My wife’s grandmother had been diagnosed with Alzheimer’s, and I recall one evening, sitting around the table with the family, discussing the way her gran had been acting and the things she had been saying. It was tricky enough for the adults to comprehend – so how would a child make sense of it? It got me thinking: how would I explain granny’s dementia to my daughter when she was older?” The question “how do you explain dementia to a six year old?” stuck and formed the basis of the project’s mission.
Because dementia affects everyone differently, a book that could be tailored to each family’s circumstances was needed. Maybe Nana sometimes puts the milk in the oven or grandad might get lost in his own home now and again – with The Ally Bally Bee Project, your book will reflect dementia-related behavioural traits your little one can relate to.
For the past two years, Matthew and his small team (Nina, Lana, Elvira and Daisy) have been working hard to bring the project to life. The whole team works on the project in their spare time – in between jobs, parenthood, university and more! Matthew considers his office to be the number 8 bus he takes to and from work each day!
Although the website is being redeveloped at the moment, you can still pre-order your book in time for an August delivery. Find out more at allyballybee.org/shop. Profits from each book sold will go to a dementia organisation of your choosing.
The Ally Bally Bee Project – the world’s first personalised children’s book about dementia.
