Reading - Sharing the experience

For people living with dementia, their families and carers. The Dementia Guide is an important resource for any person impacted by any form of dementia, of any age. This resource contains information about the impact dementia may have on a person, the treatment, support and services they may need. It is available to read online, download as a pdf, listen to an audio version or request a print copy.

Our dementia Help Sheets provide advice, common sense approaches and practical strategies on a wide range of subjects. These Help Sheets are available in more than 30 languages

This discussion paper explores how engaging people living with dementia in the creative arts can improve their wellbeing. Exploring the psychosocial approaches to support the wellbeing of people living with dementia. Including creative arts, community-based creativity, culture and country, music and dance, reminiscence and storytelling.

Studies have shown that reading in a melodic and rhythmic voice can produce positive changes in mood, emotion and behaviour in those with dementia. This book features: a detailed section on the background of how and what to read to those with dementia, as well as the research behind bibliotherapy.

See Chapter 4 Reading and dementia
There can sometimes be a perception that people with dementia are no longer able to take part in reading activities, but this is far from the case. In the early stages of dementia, many people continue to read by themselves and, even in the later stages, there are ways of making reading more accessible to people who no longer find it easy to read alone. Crucially, dementia can be an opportunity to expand what we mean when we talk about ‘reading materials’ or ‘texts’.

Dementia brings many challenges, not least its ability to disrupt effective communication. The quality of communication plays a major role in how well people living with a dementia manage. When communication doesn't work well, the complications of dementia are compounded. Rather than only offering tips on what to say and how to say it, this book explores the underlying motivations of communication, so we can better understand why we say what we do, why we say it the way we do, what can go wrong, and how attempts to fix things can go awry.

It is well recognized that when people are living with a dementia, effective communication can be a challenge for both them and those they interact with. Despite a plethora of good advice, it can be surprisingly hard to sustain constructive communicative behaviours and to integrate them successfully into routine daily care and interaction. The Dynamics of Dementia Communication asks why that is. What is it about communication, as a human social and cognitive practice, that makes it so difficult to manage the disruptions caused by dementia?

View more resources on communication in our eCollection