Grandma, Don't Forget How Much I Love You

An enduring story of family love and Alzheimer's disease embedded in the rich Jamaican Culture. Amancia recently learns that her beloved Grandma has Alzheimer's disease. Initially, she is extremely saddened and thinks of Grandma as she once was. The Jamaican name of Amanicia means unconditional love and is the underlying message of this story. This story uses a problem solving approach to better understand behaviors associated with the disease and how to make the necessary adaptations. Amancia and Mother help to build upon Grandma's preserved abilities such as singing hymns and keeping her Bible close. Grandma is treated with respect and love. In addition, Grandma's dog Calypso, shows his faithful and protective nature when he senses something is wrong with Grandma. Calypso becomes an important companion to Grandma. The love and happiness in the final scene is palpable. Author notes are included for parents and teachers to assist them in enhancing the learning experience for the child.

About the Author :
Linda A. Gerdner PhD, RN, FAAN has dedicated her career to helping persons with Alzheimer's disease and related dementias and the family members who care for them. She has conducted research to explore the perception, meaning and care of dementia within various ethnic groups such as African Americans living in the Arkansas Delta and Hmong Americans living in the Midwest. Most recently she served as an Ethnogeriatric Specialist at the Geriatric Education Center, School of Medicine, at Stanford University. She is widely published and has received national and international awards for her contributions. She pioneered the theory driven evidence-based protocol of Individualized Music for Persons with Dementia. Ethnicity is an inherent criterion in the assessment for this intervention. She is a co-editor of the third edition of the ground breaking book, Ethnicity and the Dementias published by Taylor and Francis. This would be her third illustrated book for children and family about Alzheimer's disease. Her first, Grandfather's Story Cloth (bilingual English/Hmong) was written as a culturally responsive learning resource for the Hmong American community. The second, Musical Memories, helps children and their families understand the cause of behaviors associated with Alzheimer's disease and use of music as a means of communication in reducing anxiety and agitation in persons with Alzheimer's disease. Jacqueline A. Witter EdD, FNP, RN moved from Jamaica, West Indies, to be with her family in New York and she is the youngest of eleven children. Although, leaving her country of birth, she did not depart from her strong upbringing of moral principles, cultural values, beliefs, and love for Jamaican patois. She has over 30 years of nursing experience; expanding from academia, home care, acute care, nursing education, nursing quality and hospital administration. Dr. Witter has received numerous awards for nursing leadership, education and research. She is known nationally and internationally for her work and publications on nurse mentoring, anti-bullying and transition of care for caregivers. Dr. Witter has presented at several conferences in Jamaica: Northern University; Caribbean Nursing Organization 32nd Biennial Conference and the Omega Kappa Chapter. She values the strong family bonds, instilled by her now deceased parents. Her dearly beloved mother had Alzheimer's disease, requiring home care by herself and some of her siblings. This experience served as the inspiration for Dr. Witter's participation in this book. It was the love of their mother and the gift of patience that helped them to endure this experience. It is her hope that this book will bring awareness and enhanced understanding of this disease to children and their families. Amy Bunnell Jones B.A. was born in Salt Lake City, UT. As a young child, she loved to draw, paint and glue things together. Although her images and sources of inspiration have changed, she still enjoys these art activities. Receiving a B.A. in Art Education from Brigham Young University provided her with the opportunity to try her hand at many different mediums such as stained glass, watercolor, oil, ceramics, plaster, and batik. The only thing she likes as well as creating art is teaching it. While raising five children, she has taught art classes to budding artists of all ages. She is also the illustrator of The Lifting Balloons by Erin Hardy Mendes and runs an online business selling her artwork.

Review :
Alzheimer's Jamaica located in Kingston, Jamaica is pleased to support the children's and family book, Grandma, Don't Forget How Much I Love You, by Linda A. Gerdner and Jacqueline A. Witter. Alzheimer's is an insidious disease that results in behavioral changes and memory loss, leaving families heartbroken, with a lack of understanding for the reason their family member does not remember them. This story reveals a child's response to the changes she is seeing in her Grandmother Ruby. Too often we do not address the devastating effect this may have on a child. I applaud Linda and Jacqueline for shining light on Alzheimer's disease through the eyes of a child. Dundeen Ferguson Founder and Executive Director of Alzheimer's Jamaica My Jamaican heritage has been an instrumental part of my identity. Growing up in the household of my grandma I was influenced by her wisdom, tender heart and generous spirit. I remember the wonderful smells from her kitchen, the jangle of her beads and the vibrant colors of her outfits and makeup. I loved how the characters in this book shared so many sensory connections. It helped ground the story and connected me to my own memories with my grandmother. This book reminds me of our later years together where I cherished our final memories and noted all her parables of wisdom as she was diagnosed with dementia. As an educator I am also encouraged by the messages of resilience and family love that will connect to many of my students and their families. The story brings a vibrant energy to a touching story, sharing connections across the senses to the Jamaican culture and an intergenerational love between grandchild and grandmother. Stories such as this are important to the children's literacy canon as they tell an authentic story of family and love, and the all too familiar story of Alzheimer's that crosses all cultures. All children will benefit from this story of family and learn about Jamaican culture. Erin K. Hylton-Dodson Kindergarten Teacher and Grade Chairperson This beautifully told and illustrated story grounded in evidence-based research and practice, but is practical, informative and culturally sensitive. It accurately explores the symptoms, vulnerabilities, stigma, stresses and misperceptions associated with dementia and the intergenerational impact they can have on family. The critical role of family support and understanding is highlighted, illustrating how love and happiness can endure even in the face of a challenging diagnosis like dementia. I highly recommend this book. Katherine C. Buckwalter, PhD, RN, FAAN Professor and Interim Dean Emerita University of Iowa College of Nursing Distinguished Professor of Aging Research D.W. Reynolds Center for Geriatric Nursing Excellence Oklahoma University Health Sciences Center, College of Nursing