My granny is a time traveller: A comic strip about dementia

The words My granny is a time traveller: A story about dementia, are surrounded by clocks, dates and comic strip illustrations.

This comic strip is a story about dementia.

About a young boy called Jack trying to understand what life is like for his granny living with the condition.

It’s something many families living with dementia struggle with.

Why one day their loved one is fine and the next, they can’t remember their children’s names or where they put their pen.

We hope this story will give those looking after family members with dementia or Alzheimer’s some comfort and help explain what is happening to little ones.

The comic strip was written by Daniel McGachey and illustrated by Michael McCosh.

It was produced as part of an in-depth look at dementia. As part of our investigation our data team discovered the true cost of the disease by analysing 20 years of data. We also spoke to those who are living with dementia to find out what their experience has been like.

A comic illustration of a little boy holding up a photograph of him and his granny. The words read: HIYA! I'M JACK. SEE THIS? THAT'S ME WITH ONE OF MY VERY BEST PALS. YOU'D LOVE HER! HER NAME'S ELLA… THOUGH TO ME SHE'S CALLED GRANNY. A comic illustration of a granny holding a young baby. The words in a speech bubble read: THAT'S IT. BIG SMILE, AND GIVE THE CAMERA A WEE WAVE, JACK. IT'LL BE A HAPPY MEMORY TO LOOK BACK ON WHEN YOU'RE A BIG LADDIE. TAKE THE PHOTO, FRANK. And the words below the image read: GRANNY'S BEEN AROUND ALL MY LIFE, AND A LOT LONGER THAN THAT… THOUGH MAYBE DON'T TELL HER I SAID THAT LAST BIT! A comic illustration of a granny sitting watching TV with a teenage boy. The speech bubble from the granny says: BRAVE BOY, JACK. YOUR DAD LOVED THIS SHOW WHEN HE WAS WEE, TOO. THOSE DAFT DALEKS COULDN'T ZAP THE DOCTOR THEN, AND THEY STILL CAN'T.
The words below the image read: SHE CALMED ME DOWN WHEN I GOT SCARED FROM STUFF… NOT THAT I GET SCARED MUCH! A teenage boy holding a photo album of pictures of his granny. The words below the image read: BUT THIS PAST WEE WHILE, IT'S BEEN DIFFERENT. I MEAN, I KNOW STUFF IS MEANT TO CHANGE FOR ME AS I GET OLDER, BUT I DIDN'T EXPECT GRANNY TO CHANGE. SHE ALREADY IS OLDER! A comic illustration of a granny with swirls coming out of her head and lots of different years like 1970, 2014, 1963.

The text below the image reads: BECAUSE INSIDE HER OWN HEAD, IN HER OWN THOUGHTS AND MEMORIES, MY GRANNY IS TIME-TRAVELLING! A comic illustration of a man and a woman from the 70s era dancing. The speech bubble from the young woman reads: THESE BEADS ARE TOTALLY GEAR, BUT THE BOOTS'LL HAVE TO GO! THESE HEELS ARE MURDER TO BOOGIE IN!

The text below the image reads: BECAUSE WHERE SHE IS — I MEAN WHEN SHE IS — SHE'S DOING THINGS SHE DID YEARS, OR EVEN DECADES AGO! A comic illustration of a granny and a young man standing beside each other. The speech bubble from the granny reads: YOU KNOW WHAT MEMORIES ARE, JACK? MEMORIES ARE LIKE POINTS ON A MAP THAT SHOWS YOU EVERYWHERE YOU'VE BEEN IN YOUR LIFE.
The text above the image reads: I JUST HAD TO USE MY IMAGINATION TO FIGURE OUT WHAT I THINK IT MUST BE LIKE FOR HER. BECAUSE SHE ONCE TOLD ME THIS THING… A black and white comic illustration of a young girl standing beside a clock. The speech bubble from the girl reads: ARE MY MUM AND DAD HERE? I DON'T KNOW WHAT TIME IT IS, BUT IT MIGHT BE LATE, SO I DON'T WANT THEM TO THINK I'VE WANDERED AWAY. HELLO? A comic illustration of a granny sitting on the couch and a young man comforting her.
The text below the image reads: SHE'S JUST LIKE A CHILD SOMETIMES, SO NOW IT'S MY TURN TO CALM HER WHEN SHE GETS SCARED, JUST LIKE SHE DID FOR ME WHEN I WAS WEE. A comic illustration of a photo on a mobile phone. The text below the image reads: AND THE TRAIL ON THE MEMORY MAP JUST GETS LONGER, BECAUSE WE'RE GOING TO KEEP MAKING MORE MEMORIES EVERY TIME ME AND MY BEST PAL GET TOGETHER, FOR AS LONG AS WE'RE ABLE. A comic illustration of the granny and the young man sitting holding hands.

The text below the image reads: AND WHEN I SIT AND REALLY LISTEN TO MY GRANNY TALKING ABOUT ALL THE THINGS SHE'S DONE, THE PLACES SHE'S BEEN, AND THE PEOPLE SHE'S MET, WITH JUST A WEE BIT OF IMAGINATION, I CAN TIME TRAVEL WITH HER JUST SO SHE'S NOT ON HER OWN!