Two sisters have spoken openly about their late grandmother’s journey with vascular dementia, describing how her diagnosis at Nottingham University Hospitals NHS Trust (NUH), helped them feel validated and how, more than ten years later, they realised they had never fully processed their grief.
Amy and Laura Hoddinott (Bunting) have shared memories of their grandmother, Olive Bunting, before her dementia diagnosis, during her illness, and after her death. Through reflecting on those experiences, the sisters say they have gained a deeper understanding of the lasting emotional impact dementia can have on families.
Inspired by her grandmother’s experience, Amy went on to create a children’s book, My Granny is Changing, aimed at helping people of all ages feel seen and understood when a loved one is living with dementia.
“I felt helpless,” Amy said. “I don’t have a healthcare background, and I kept thinking, ‘What could I do that might help?’ Creating the book became a way for me to process my grief.”
Olive was cared for on Ward B47, one of the healthcare for older patients wards at NUH, and was diagnosed with vascular dementia at the age of 88. The diagnosis came after the family had already noticed changes in Olive’s behaviour and personality that didn’t reflect who she had always been.
“My gran was a huge part of our family,” Amy added. “We were a tight‑knit family, and the impact of living with dementia was enormous.”
Laura said the care her grandmother received at NUH went on to shape her own career aspirations.
“I don’t think we can express enough what these staff do on a daily basis, I work here and I came to work here because of the care my gran received”
Amy explains that while the book is rooted in her own family’s experience, she intentionally broadened its message. “I wrote the book about my gran, but I wanted other people affected by dementia to see similarities in their own lives and feel less alone.”
Stewart Pavier-Mills, Clinical Specialist Nurse in Dementia at NUH, said supporting families to understand and connect with their loved ones is central to the work on Ward B47.
“Part of the ethos of what we do on Ward B47 is stepping into the patient’s world, rather than expecting them to step into ours,” he said. “If relatives can hold on to the essence of who their loved one is, it helps them understand that their granny is still there.”
The sisters have found both writing and reading the book has finally helped them process what happened to their gran and they hope that by sharing their story, through Amy’s book, more families affected by dementia will feel supported, understood, and able to talk openly about their experiences.
