Here, we share some of the resources that we have found useful in our research and in preparing and delivering reading groups for people with dementia.
Reading Materials for People with Dementia
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.
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.
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).
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.