Grandpa Remembers Love

About the Book

It's Thursday! Ten year old, Elaine and seven year old, Teddy's favorite day of the week. After school, they take the bus to their grandparent's house where Grandma Mary's amazing homemade treats are always waiting for them. This week though, Teddy's feeling confused and sad about going. Grandpa Jack hasn't been much fun lately. He always loved playing catch with Teddy but now he won't do it anymore. Why does his grandfather look the same but act so differently?

Grandpa Remembers Love is an uplifting story about connecting with a grandparent who has dementia. With the help of their wise grandmother, Elaine and Teddy begin to understand that an important part of their grandfather's memory has not gone away. And, that focusing on what grandpa CAN do creates new opportunities for strengthening the love between them. Told with beautifully expressive illustrations,the children discover that by finding insightful ways to engage him--they truly can help grandpa remember love.

About the Author

Theresa Matocha holds a Master's degree in Social Work and completed a gerontology internship at Baylor College of Medicine's Geriatric Clinic and Diagnostic Center. She is a Certified Instructor and Practioner with the National Council of Certified Dementia Practioners. As program director of a fifty-bed special care unit-she was inspired by the positive impact authentic sensory experiences, dignified activities and emotional validation had on residents with varied forms of dementia. With this book, she hopes to spread awareness of the person-centered model of dementia care and its abiliity to enhance life quality within every stage of memory loss. Theresa resides in Vermont with her three children: Sam, Angela and Joey, four dogs and one-in-a-million husband, Michael.

About the Illustratrator

Lilli Stein studies theatre and Russian language at Middlebury College in Middlebury, VT. When not at school, she lives in Atkinson, NH with a brilliant physician father, a god-sent mother, an illustrious sister and a wise, old soft-coated Wheaton Terrier named Fausto. Lilli has always found solace in drawing and painting as a way to release creative energies. Many thanks to her great friend and alter-idem, Willy Mckay for introducing me to Theresa. Many thanks to Theresa for including my artist self in her wonderful creation.