{"id":225607,"date":"2025-11-18T13:06:37","date_gmt":"2025-11-18T23:06:37","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.hawaii.edu\/news\/?p=225607"},"modified":"2025-11-18T13:06:37","modified_gmt":"2025-11-18T23:06:37","slug":"helping-kids-understand-alzheimers-through-animation","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.hawaii.edu\/news\/2025\/11\/18\/helping-kids-understand-alzheimers-through-animation\/","title":{"rendered":"Helping kids understand Alzheimer\u2019s through animation"},"content":{"rendered":"Reading time: <\/span> 2<\/span> minutes<\/span><\/span>
\"animation
The newly released animation of P\u014dmai and Her Papa<\/em> is available on H\u0101 K\u016bpuna’s YouTube page.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

The children\u2019s storybook P\u014dmai and Her Papa<\/a><\/em>, which helps children understand Alzheimer\u2019s disease, has been adapted into a new animated video<\/a>. The story follows P\u014dmai, a young girl learning to support her Papa (grandfather) as he experiences memory loss, offering a gentle, culturally grounded way for families to start conversations about dementia. First released<\/a> by the University of Â鶹´«Ã½<\/span> at M\u0101noa in 2019 and translated into ʻōlelo<\/span> Â鶹´«Ã½<\/span> in 2025<\/a>, the story has reached keiki and caregivers across the islands.<\/p>\n

Related UH<\/abbr> News<\/em> story: Dementia storybook released statewide<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n

The animation was developed by Kalilinoe Detwiler, a UH<\/abbr> M\u0101noa PhD<\/abbr> candidate in English, with the H\u0101 K\u016bpuna National Resource Center for Native Hawaiian Elders<\/a>, housed in the Thompson School of Social Work & Public Health<\/a>. It brings the storybook to life with vibrant visuals, expressive characters and narration voiced by H\u0101 K\u016bpuna team members.<\/p>\n

“We hope the book and video will open conversations between children, parents and k\u016bpuna about dementia in a cultural and age-appropriate way,” said Detwiler, who is an Indigenous Nations Poet<\/a>, Story Knife Fellow<\/a> and co-principal investigator for the Symphony of Â鶹´«Ã½<\/span> Seas project<\/a>. “I enjoy spending time with the characters, imagining their expressions and who they might sit beside in the setting. I also enjoy imagining visual representations to subtle changes in their emotions and understanding of dementia.”<\/p>\n

\"Kalilinoe
Kalilinoe Detwiler<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

The project began in January 2025 and included storyboarding, visual design, background art, voice recording, animation and editing.<\/p>\n

“As we create resources for ʻōpio<\/span> (youth) and caregivers, we recognize there are mediums that best suit the intergenerational households in Â鶹´«Ã½<\/span>,” added Detwiler. “Animation is one of those mediums. It opens possibilities for stories that can be challenging or heavy,”<\/p>\n

“The purpose of H\u0101 K\u016bpuna is to enhance understanding of k\u016bpuna, celebrate their lives, and improve eldercare services,” said Shelley Muneoka, H\u0101 K\u016bpuna program coordinator. “Storybooks and animation help extend this information to new audiences in a meaningful way.”<\/p>\n

Watch the animated video<\/a>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

An animation of UH<\/abbr> M\u0101noa children\u2019s book P\u014dmai and Her Papa<\/em> was developed to help keiki and caregivers understand Alzheimer\u2019s.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":16,"featured_media":225631,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[26],"tags":[1133,972,242,1622,158,244,596,9],"class_list":["post-225607","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-community","tag-aging","tag-alzheimers-disease","tag-native-hawaiian-health","tag-olelo-hawaii","tag-publication","tag-social-work","tag-myron-b-thompson-school-of-social-work","tag-uh-manoa","entry","has-media"],"aioseo_notices":[],"aioseo_head":"\n\t\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t