-Researchers have found in a number of studies that reading can improve a patient’s quality of life. The meanings of written sentences can be understood by — and prompt cogent responses from — even those who have difficulty handling verbal exchanges.
Caregivers may be surprised to learn that reading ability is not always destroyed by Alzheimer’s. “All of my research demonstrates that people who were literate maintain their ability to read until the end stages of dementia,” said Michelle S. Bourgeois, a professor of speech and hearing science at Ohio State University… – From NYTimes: April 22, 2010, Many Alzheimer’s Patients Find Comfort in Books
WHEN YOU READ:
- pause, reflect, think
- engage actively
- use intellect and emotion together
- develop a longer attention span
- think critically about material
- Reading about a subject provides integrative information:
- You can skim over portions that interest you less
- Move backwards and forwards, re-read, reflect over material
- Challenge the validity of material
- Make notes, connect what you have learned to other information
- Read to appreciate
- Study the prose and writing content to improve you writing
- Join a book group or start one
- Listen to books or podcasts – contrast this to reading
- When grandchildren visit, read aloud to them.
- Write you own children’s book and read it aloud to test it
Can’t Decide What To Read?
- Rereading an old favorite
- Follow the writing of a certain author
- Ask friends/family for recommendations
- Check out book reviews in the local newspaper
- Submit a book review to one an internet book blog
- Write a short story or an op-ed piece for the newspaper
- Use reading to research a topic of interest
E-Reading
“As electronic reading devices evolve and proliferate, books are increasingly able to talk to readers, quiz them on their grasp of the material, play videos to illustrate a point or connect them with a community of fellow readers. The same technology allows readers to reach out to authors, provide instant reaction and even become creative collaborators, influencing plot developments and the writer’s use of dramatic devices.”
“The visual happenings on a computer screen and our physical interaction with the device can enhance our enjoyment of reading material.”
These new approaches to reading are opportunities for older persons who need additional support in their reading activities. With an E-reader you can:
- Set the size and distinctiveness of the font.
- Focus and minimize the amount of information you see on a page.
- Get verbal support with the printed word. Read along with the computer.
- Get help immediately for words you don’t understand.
- Get reminders when you forget aspects of the story.
- Set the time that you read, so you don’t read too long at one sitting.
- Get better lighting that is right on the screen.
All of these features are available on many readers such as Amazon’s KINDLE or other similar e-readers. They are worth a look!
E-blogging and the Older Adult:
Could e-books someday be the new large “print” for older people in the U.S. and elsewhere?
As a reference librarian, I speak with many who must struggle with regular print books, magazines and newspapers. Consider the ironies. The eyes of millions of retirees are failing just when these seniors finally have the time for leisure reading.
Frustratingly, too, arthritis might prevent them from holding the heavier large-print editions. And those are far from the only problems here—the reason why e-books might be the solution in many cases with appropriate devices and titles available.
With the right e-book standard in use, moreover, just about every book could be the equivalent of a large-print book. Readers could easily adjust the font size.
Arthritis as a challenge
Yes, arthritis is a major challenge for the elderly and large-print books tend to be too heavy and unwieldy for many older people with arthritis to hold. E-readers might be one solution to the problem. These are light and easy to manipulate.
A shortage of large-print titles
I have just a limited selection of large-print titles that I could recommend to them even if they could hold the books.
Publishers say some baby boomers feel that large print is only for the very old. Publishing houses are responding to this by marketing books as “larger print” and highlighting their use by people who like to read while exercising on a treadmill.
How e-books could help
A small, lightweight e-book reader with large buttons would be easy for older adults to hold and manipulate. Ideally, such a reader would allow the reader to pick the most comfortable font size and be able to reflow the text for that font size. The screen of such a reader should provide a reading experience as close as possible to the clarity and the lack of glare found with print books.
Today most books exist as computer files anyway, and conversion houses are available, so the cost of digitizing new books is lower than before. The library market could help seed the commercial one and encourage interest in appropriate hardware, making mass-production more practical and driving down prices. Ultimately, even low-income elderly people could own their readers, which in some cases might also be used for other purposes such as Web surfing or e-mail.
Vast need for senior-friendly E
I have no doubt of the need for senior-friendly digital books and the right devices to read them with. According to Lighthouse International, “approximately three percent of individuals age 6 and older, representing 7.9 million people, have difficulty seeing words and letters in ordinary newspaper print even when wearing glasses or contact lenses. This number increases to 12 percent among persons age 65 and older (3.9 million)” (McNeil, 2001 as cited by Lighthouse International). There is a growing need for an e-book market tailored to the issues of the older reader.
Related posts:
I recommend Dr. Hill’s books to all of you who are dealing with aging yourself or have a loved one the is aging.