Reading material for dementia patients

[mrcrowy]

My 87 year old Mum has vascular dementia, is profoundly deaf and now needs full time nursing. She has lost all interest in reading books but does like to look at the pictures in magazines. Does anyone know of a weekly pictorial magazine that we could get for her? We also wondered about any children's books that might fit the bill. Any suggestions would be most welcome. Thanks.

 

[Saffie]

I downloaded a copy of the following magazine - it might appeal to your mother.

Lifetime - magazine for Memories

Have added the relevant connection
http://www.lifetime-memorymag.co.uk/

 

[jeany123]

Hi and welcome to TP when I was looking for books a while ago I found this site I have never ordered from there but it looks interesting

http://www.picturestoshare.co.uk/

Jeany x

 

[mrcrowy]

Thanks Saffie

Thanks for the very prompt reply Saffie. I have ordered a 6 month subscription to see how Mum gets on with them, they look very good. Thanks again.

 

[mrcrowy]

Thanks Jeany

My wife & me have had a look at this site, it looks very good and exactly what we were looking for. We will decide which books she might enjoy most and get them as a Christmas present. Thanks for your very prompt reply. Dave C

 

[PeggySmith]

This might not be any good if your mum's concentration is very bad, but do you know about Quick Reads? They're very short complete stories written for people with literacy difficulties. Quite a few famous authors have written for them as they've been around for a while.

 

[Witzend]

You might try your local library for 'nostalgia', 'good old days' books - I can think of a few I've seen - usually with masses of photos - though I can't think of any titles at the moment. Given that old memories are so often foremost, they might interest your mother. If you want to buy rather than borrow I'd suggest some of the 2nd hand book websites. Though it's worth checking the library for titles - do ask the librarian if you don't know where to look.

 

[sazjane]

Looks great

Thanks for these links, I will be looking into them also.

 

[sazjane]

Daily Sparkle

I just found this website for a daily magazine, I like the look of it alot. Some of you here might also enjoy it, its called the Daily Sparkle and they have a weekly one also.

 

[benjie]

Hi, I realise that this is an old thread but thought I'd follow it up in any case. There are a number of books by Robert Opie (check out Amazon) and similar authors which take a trip down memory lane. They depict various decades, holidays, toys etc.

Benjie

 

[meme]

I wonder if small catalogues.brochures may be of interest..eg plants and flowers or holiday places..clothes etc whatever catches her eye??

 

[Goingitalone]

I've recently borrowed a book from the library in a series by Robert Opie. They are scrapbooks of certain decades-mine was the 1930s but I know he does the 1950s and the war years. They are mainly colour pictures grouped in subjects such as groceries, clothes, cars etc, so would appeal to all audiences. We enjoyed reminiscing with Mum and my grandchildren enjoyed looking at them, too.
I've seen them on Amazon in paperback so not too expensive if you wanted a copy to keep.

 

[starryuk]

Hi,

Thank you for the info about the Robert Opie books.

I have been to look on Amazon, but can't get an idea of the size of the books? I am hoping they might be A4 size or thereabouts...

Please would anyone let me know?

 

[Goingitalone]

Hi,

Thank you for the info about the Robert Opie books.

I have been to look on Amazon, but can't get an idea of the size of the books? I am hoping they might be A4 size or thereabouts...

Please would anyone let me know?

They are approximately 15" X 11". I've just measured the one I have on loan which is hard backed.

 

[starryuk]

Thank you for that Goingitalone, then it is definitely worth buying one.

Don't think I shall go down the Library route though as I can't be relied on to return books on time!

xx

 

[mancmum]

We are really enjoying millers price guide

Two quid from oxfam..... 2011 edition

 

[Keaya]

It is important to select books or reading material appropriate for people diagnosed with a memory-loss condition. Primarily, choose books that reflect an individual’s tastes and interests. Also, consider books with large-print text, as the person may have impaired vision. Finally, opt for books with large, vibrant photographs—while they complement and enhance the words from a story*—they can also engage individuals who do not connect to words, but rather with pictures.

 

[CINDYJANE]

Halsgrove books on biographies of the past.

There is a series of books published by Halsgrove (www.halsgrove.com) which are collections of photographs, stories and images relevant to different towns or villages in England. My mother is from North Devon and I have just bought The Book of Berrynarbor (A biography of Devon life from 1920). It is a great book to share memories with my mother about places she (and I) knew from the past, places we visited or had holidays.

 

[AlsoConfused]

I bought the "Remember When" Robert Opie book for my Mum and it was a great success. It covers the decades from Victorian times up until today - each page containing photographs of domestic products, film posters, toys, cars, fashion, etc.

A previous book with photographs on every page of historic and "celebrity" teddy bears went down very well too.

Mum can still read text fairly fluently but she can't remember anything she's read (eg she'll read a headline repeatedly at 5 second intervals for hours). She loves books with lots of pictures of items that were once an important part of her life.

 

[creativesarah]

Have you thought of making her a memory book about herself?

I have an example which gives basic instructions on how to make one on my website
http://creativesarah.weebly.com

feel free to download it

wondering whether I should write a book about memory books as part of this years project!

Sarah