A moving and beautifully illustrated collection of stories surrounding the complexities of navigating dementia, all told through the eyes of a community dementia companion.
When Time Aligns follows Sienna, a dementia companion who works with individuals, families and organisations to deliver advice, advocacy, better understanding and compassionate support.
Each story is based on real experiences and is brought to life with heartwarming and often heartbreaking illustrations. The stories reflect on: the move from home care to care home; finding support services and help with practicalities; the effect of young onset dementia; when culture and distance impact on care; and forward planning that honours your wishes.
The book also focuses on the benefits of being better informed and communicating clearly within families, business and in the community.
This collection will be relatable and supportive for anyone touched by dementia in their lives, and provides insight and information for anyone wanting to know more.
When Time Aligns follows Sienna, a dementia companion who works with individuals, families and organisations to deliver advice, advocacy, better understanding and compassionate support.
Each story is based on real experiences and is brought to life with heartwarming and often heartbreaking illustrations. The stories reflect on: the move from home care to care home; finding support services and help with practicalities; the effect of young onset dementia; when culture and distance impact on care; and forward planning that honours your wishes.
The book also focuses on the benefits of being better informed and communicating clearly within families, business and in the community.
This collection will be relatable and supportive for anyone touched by dementia in their lives, and provides insight and information for anyone wanting to know more.
Reviews
A beautiful, compassionate piece of work. What stands out most is the gentle, steady voice created through Sienna; it offers reassurance without ever feeling clinical. The stories are sensitively chosen and really highlight the emotional truth of caring... It's a book that will genuinely help people feel seen, supported and less alone in what can be an overwhelming journey. It's warm, grounded and deeply human; a real companion for families and care partners
The stories in this book are all very real to me and I am sure it will benefit many families in the future
This beautiful book shines a light on the realities of living with dementia with love, tenderness and honesty. The stories stay with you long after reading and are an important reminder of the humanity, individuality and love that can still exist within every dementia diagnosis. An important and deeply moving book that offers understanding, comfort and connection for anyone whose life has been touched by dementia
I read it all in one sitting! I didn't want to stop; it was engaging, heartbreaking and, importantly, hopeful
Reading this lovely book was both absorbing and deeply thought-provoking, particularly as someone personally affected by the daily realities of caring for my wife, who lives with the rare form of dementia known as posterior cortical atrophy (PCA)... One of my only disappointments was reaching the end too soon, I found myself wanting more stories and further reflections, which is perhaps the strongest compliment I can offer. This is a beautifully crafted and important piece of work. The combination of thoughtful narrative and evocative illustrations makes it both engaging and impactful, while also serving as a valuable contribution towards improving awareness, understanding and compassion around the realities of dementia
Stories are such a powerful way to communicate the challenges that individuals and families experience. What I particularly loved was how, through storytelling, this highlights resilience in action. People often think of resilience as an individual trait or something a person simply possesses. In reality, resilience is often relational, emerging through connection, and the co-maintenance of identity. When Time Aligns captures this beautifully, showing how people draw strength not only from within themselves, but also from the relationships and networks around them
I was drawn into every story and every word. I personally believe that there is no better way to learn and understand about dementia than to hear the lived experience of those who are going through it. The fantastic illustrations bring it to life by allowing me to visualise every story. It is a rollercoaster of emotions, feeling the joy of some and feeling the sorrow and loss of others. But what this book gave me, and I'm sure it will all its readers, is a sense of hope, a belief that no matter how bad things are, there are always people out there willing to offer help and understanding. Dementia is not the end of your life; it is the beginning of your new one
A fantastic resource. I particularly enjoyed the chapter on shared language - so important to highlight this for folks of different cultures and language yet with the same universal disease
What a lovely, loving little sweetheart of a book. It's chock full of insights and info: caring being relational; language and meaning being based on shared understanding; the value of deep listening and attentive presence; the wonder of reframing. But it's related through real stories of real people in really challenging circumstances and told with profound sensitivity, gentleness and tenderness. This is lovingly enhanced by the superb illustrations. Professional carers, family partners and people living with dementia will all find themselves more creatively compassionate through this little gem
When Time Aligns is a quietly remarkable book; one that will resonate with anyone living with dementia, as well as care partners, family members and friends who walk alongside them. Told through stories rather than instruction, it delivers practical wisdom, gentle affirmations and real insight in the most unassuming way: you find yourself learning almost without noticing. That subtlety is its real strength. Rather than feeling like a manual or a guide, it reads with warmth and ease, making it accessible even in the most tiring and emotionally demanding of circumstances. And because its lessons are woven into narrative rather than stated outright, it rewards returning to, each read revealing something new, something you may not have been ready to receive the first time around
An invaluable resource for anyone navigating the complex world of dementia. Having a dear friend who has a rapidly progressing rare dementia posterior cortical atrophy (PCA), I find the book to be a supportive and positive guide as I try to help her travel along this unfamiliar road
Warm, insightful and deeply human, this book brings together a remarkable range of stories from people living with dementia and those who care for and support them. Spanning different cultures, relationships, stages of dementia and diagnoses, including rarer and younger onset dementias, it offers readers both recognition and understanding. The author's reflections as a therapist add a unique depth, while her openness in sharing practical approaches, resources and insights into dementia support makes this much more than a collection of stories. A powerful reminder that care is never static, that meaningful connection remains possible, and that no one should face dementia alone
Each story provides positive helpful threads for the reader, outlining the importance of compassion, openness and self-care on this difficult journey. The reader is given a balanced insight into the mental, physical and practical struggles of those diagnosed with dementia and those caring for a loved one with dementia
A heart-warming and informative collection of stories that gently opens up the realities of dementia care. The book shares knowledge in a gentle and accessible way, weaving practical insight with compassion, warmth and humanity. The stories of families, carers and people living with dementia feel honest and tender, while the illustrations help bring it to life