We have a bank of reading materials amassed from our
projects for people living with dementia in Ireland, north
and south. However, due to copyright laws we cannot share
these widely online. If you want to access the titles, please
do get in touch through the contact form on the Still Reading
website. If you invest in The Reader’s online Read to Lead
training, they provide a huge resource of tried-and- ested
reading material on completion of the course.
Here are some other suggestions:
Reading Materials Online:
Library of Short Stories: www.libraryofshortstories.com
Poetry Foundation: https://www.poetryfoundation.org
Poetry by Heart: https://poetrybyheart.org.uk/
showcase/3 (designed for use in schools, but includes a
catalogue of poems to be enjoyed aloud with brief notes
on each)
Project Gutenberg: https://www.gutenberg.org (Free
books online, but also reading lists organised by
country, theme, etc).
The Poetry and Memory project led by researchers at
University of Cambridge surveyed people on the poems
they knew by heart and published the results on page
16 of their summary report, published here: https://www.
poetryandmemory.com/publications.html
Our resources:
If you would like to be added to the Still Reading Project’s Microsoft Teams site, where you can access some of the reading we use in our shared reading groups, please request access using the link below:
Books with reading material:
TheReader.org has published two fantastic anthologies designed to be read aloud to a loved one, both featuring mixture of short prose and poems, beautifully curated:
Our Dementia NI groups particularly enjoyed the extract from Belfast writer Brian Keenan’s memoir (in A Little, Aloud) because it was set in mid-20th Century Belfast and featured the author as a young boy, trying to live up to the expectations of the father he idolises. In fact, we found that our readers with dementia loved to read Irish fiction, because of the memories it evoked and the familiarity and humour in the voices.
Poetry By Heart: Poems for learning and reciting.
Penguin.
Irish broadcaster RTÉ’s popular radio programme
‘Sunday Miscellany’ features short excerpts of stories
just the right length for this activity published in several
anthologies, the latest available here: https://www.
newisland.ie/shop/p/sundaymiscellany2023-2025
Voices (Edited by Patricia Scanlon): Voices is a collection of short stories by well-known Irish writers, edited by Patricia Scanlan as part of the Open Door series. The stories are written in clear, accessible language, making them suitable for a wide range of readers and listeners. The anthology was developed to support adult literacy and encourage confidence and enjoyment in reading.https://www.newisland.ie/shop/p/voices-an-open-door-book-of-stories
For Shared Reading groups, including those involving people living with dementia, the short story format offers an accessible way to explore literature together. The varied themes and Irish settings can help spark conversation, reminiscence, and social connection.
Supporting People Living with Dementia
The Reader has existing advice and research on shared
reading for people living with dementia: https://www.
thereader.org.uk/shared-reading-wwd/shared-reading-inhealth-
and-social-care/shared-reading-for-people-livingwith-
dementia/ You can also donate to The Reader here: https://www.thereader.org.uk/shared-reading/shar
Become a Dementia Friend through the Alzheimer’s
Society UK: https://www.dementiafriends.org.uk/register
Dementia Care: Living Well as Dementia Progresses,
free online course for family and/or carers of people
living with dementia and health and social care
professionals: https://www.dementiauk.org/news/newonline-
course-for-carers-and-professionals-to-helpthem-
understand-dementias-progression/
See Dementia NI’s webpage for more information
on Consulting, Engaging and Involving Members –
Dementia NI.
DEEP: The UK Network of Dementia Voices offer
peer support and produce useful resources, including
guidelines on writing for or about people living with
dementia.
Dementia Tier 1 Awareness Training (HSC Clinical Education Centre) – A free online dementia awareness programme developed by the HSC Clinical Education Centre and regional dementia partners. The training provides an introduction to dementia, explores the experiences of people living with the condition, and offers practical guidance on providing person-centred support. Suitable for health and social care staff, community organisations, volunteers, carers, and members of the public seeking to improve their understanding of dementia.
Access the training:
Dementia Tier 1 Awareness Training
https://cec.hscni.net/learningcontent/dementia-tier-1
Charities and Organisations
Equal Arts, a creative ageing charity supporting older people and those living with dementia in Gateshead, Newcastle and across the UK, are developing a series of books, created with and for people living with dementia. Open Ended Books is their first publishing initiative and their first title is Bewick Tales: Stories from the life and work of Thomas Bewick (2024).
Equal Arts‘ Reading with Dementia model involves reading texts other than literature, including historical and archival material and maps. Find out more here: https://www.equalarts.org.uk/dementia-friendly-reading
The Reading Agency provides specific dementia‑focused reading resources designed to support people living with dementia, their families, and carers. Their 2024 initiative Reading Well for dementia recommends helpful reading and works in partnership with libraries in England and Wales.
The Scottish Book Trust runs ‘The Reading is Caring‘ programme which is primarily designed for 1-2-1 professional and family carers to use with a person with dementia: https://www.scottishbooktrust.com/reading-and-stories/reading-is-caring
The UK-based initiative Dementia Care the Montessori Way have written a series of over thirty books which have been reviewed by residents living in Milford Care Homes in Derbyshire and Nottinghamshire. Covering a wide variety of topics, the books have a reminiscence approach encouraging conversation and discussion. The books do not have any pictures, as this was found to cause distraction.
Cognitive Books publishes specially designed reading materials to support people living with dementia, in collaboration with the Alzheimer’s Society. Each book features short, rhyming text, large print, memorable topics (like Classic Coronation Street or The Beatles), illustrations, and a free audio version.
Verbal Arts Centre uses storytelling and reading as gentle, non-clinical tools to reduce anxiety, combat isolation, and stimulate memory amongst those living with dementia and their care-givers.
Their dementia-specific work focuses on three main initiatives:
Reading Friends (Care Home Support): One-to-one and group reading sessions delivered by volunteers in local residential care homes to provide vital companionship and cognitive stimulation.
Creative Connections: An 8-week program for individuals with early-stage dementia, using shared readings of literature and poetry to gently trigger memories and spark conversational reminiscence.
Dyadic Shared Reading: A unique program where individuals with dementia and their caregivers attend together. It provides a shared, joyful activity that significantly reduces participant anxiety while giving caregivers a creative emotional outlet.
Please see our own resource on the following page: Shared Reading for People Living with Dementia: A resource pack!