My plan is to feature other authors’ dementia-friendly books in my blog (I have met one, and been in touch with another, though there are none around me here in Western Australia, as far as I know). Please let me know of books that someone living with dementia has really enjoyed.
(I’m most interested here in books with text. There are also many, many no-text picture books for adults on Amazon.)
UK-based Authors/Publishers
It was easiest to start with my sister Emma (writing as Cathy Emma Laybourn)! She writes magazine short stories and children’s books, amongst other things, and now she has two collections of memory-friendly short stories available.
These would fit into the ‘mild cognitive loss’ category – for anyone who still enjoys reading, but needs quite a bit of unobtrusive support to keep track of the story. There are little reminders of ‘what’s been happening’ on each page…
Read my blog post on The Perfect Pie and A Robin in the House here.
Cognitive books have three hardback titles (with free audio), all with titles to appeal to those who remember the 1960s: Classic Coronation Street, The 1966 World Cup and The Beatles. They also have a research report on the reading habits of people living with dementia, which has helped them develop their books.
Equal Arts currently have two hardback titles, Bewick Tales (about famous artist Thomas Bewick) and Dorothy Wordsworth’s Grasmere Days. There are three very short and useful videos on the homepage of their site. The books look intriguing and the aim is to make each two-page spread a reading experience in itself.
Hugh Morrison is a prolific author, writing Golden Age Mysteries – and a range of dementia-friendly non-fiction Memory Lane titles like 1950s Memory Lane and 1960s British Cars, all available on Amazon.
NZ-based authors/publishers
Dovetale Press: I met one of the Dovetale Press authors years ago, when we were both writing for English language learners. Dovetale Press creates dementia-friendly adaptations of classic much-loved authors’ work: Little Women, Sherlock Holmes, A Christmas Carol, The Garden Party – as well as a poetry collection.
Canada-based authors/publishers
The Carry on Reading series from Dementiability has titles like Anne with an E, Peach Jam and Jobs of the 1950s: some have a very Canadian appeal (Great Canadian Ideas) while others will be of much more general interest. Their titles include a number of free downloadable books (eg Bob Hope, The 1960s, The Story of Buddhism).
US-based authors/publishers
Nostalgia Works provides whole library collections, or you can buy individual titles from Nana’s Books by Laurette Klier on Amazon. There’s a huge range of titles like Sit with me at Sundown: Nostalgic Poetry for the Young at Heart and Nostalgic Picture Book of Irish Wit and Wisdom. Many of the books are illustrated with classic or nostalgic paintings.
Emma Rose Sparrow writes dementia-friendly fiction, where the focus is more on vivid sensory description than on plot. There are three levels, and titles include The Sandy Shoreline, What the Wind Showed to Me and Down by the Meadow. The books are all available on Amazon.
Shadowbox Press has conversation cards and hardback interactive books with conversation starters and activities. There are eight books, with titles like Flowers, Fun and Games and Seasons.
Reading 2 Connect only provide their accessible books as part of a purchased program with training, but you can still read their very interesting principles. They have a tip sheet for anyone wanting to create dementia-friendly reading materials.