Copies of a picture book that give young children a better understanding about dementia have been handed to Powys County Council at Newtown Library by a newly- formed charity group.
‘The Elephant Who Forgot’ has been presented to the council’s Library Service by the group Dementia Matters in Powys.
The picture book is geared towards giving young children a better understanding of the often difficult and emotional topic of dementia.
It is planned that further copies will be presented to schools to keep.
Rhiannon Davies, from Dementia Matters in Powys, said: “The Elephant Who Forgot combines colourful and fun illustrations with a sensitively written text. It was written and produced by parents of the Caerphilly Parent Networking Group and was a result of their own challenges and experiences with dementia.
“We have gifted copies of this book for all libraries in Powys, and we sincerely hope that this will be a useful addition to the library collection for the public to use.”
Cllr Dawn Bailey, Powys County Council’s Dementia Champion, said: “I wish to thank Dementia Matters in Powys and also the Newtown Dementia Friendly Community Initiative for all they do within our communities in raising awareness of this distressing condition.
“Along with libraries and other council services, we can help widen this supportive message.”
Cllr Graham Brown, Deputy Leader and Cabinet Member for Library Services, said: “Libraries are once again showing that they have an important role to play in supporting people living with the repercussions of dementia.
“Library staff are often best placed to understand the needs of their borrowers and are great at promoting resources that can help people to understand what it is like to live in this situation.”
If you want to learn more about dementia, the council’s library service has also put together a themed reading list specifically chosen for people living with dementia, their carers, relatives and friends.
For more information visit www.powys.gov.uk/libraries
