Abnormal memory loss is the hallmark of most forms of dementia that community nurses and primary care teams encounter. Recent policy initiatives such as the Department of Health’s nursing strategy Making a Difference in Dementia expect practitioners to frame communication with patients and carers to include emotional memory. This paper considers emotional memory in the context of practitioners’ educational role, with particular reference to the Dementia Friends initiative and Gemma Jones’ bookcase analogy. This support will become increasingly relevant in the Prime Minister’s Challenge on Dementia (Department of Health 2012, 2016) and its plan for implementation by 2020.