Read to Me: Newspapers & Magazines

Time

Read & Write

4 3 2 1 Mid-Late Stages

Benefits

What you need

Newspapers or magazines that the person will enjoy

Intro

A cup of coffee and the morning paper is the only way to start the day for some. While others prefer to indulge in the folds of a glossy magazine. There’s one for every passion these days – from classic cars and cross-stitch, to cats and kitchens

For those who don’t read much, they will no doubt have picked up one or the other at some point in their lives – especially at the doctor’s surgery!

The later stages of the dementia journey can make reading alone a struggle. But the joy of this activity is reading the stories they’ll love to them. So it’s important to find out what they’ll enjoy from their family and friends

The Activity

Prepare the session by flicking through the newspapers and/or magazines to find some stories they’ll like
Visit the person in their room or where they are seated – somewhere quiet without any distractions
Greet them by holding their hand or lay your hand gently on their hand or forearm
Sit at their eye level and ask them how they are. If they can’t respond verbally, look for any visual clues, such as a change in breathing, movement of their head, hands or eyes and respond by letting them know how you are or talk about something that is going on that day
Hold eye contact and say you’re going to spend some time reading their daily newspaper or a magazine with them
Start reading the first article and look for visual cues to how they’re feeling
Take a moment to reflect on what you’ve read together
If the person seems relaxed, move onto another article
Carry on for as long as there’s time or the person is comfortable and enjoying themselves
Once they’re finished catching up on the news, take some time to talk about what will happen at the next session and let them know where they are in the day (e.g. “it’s time for your tea break soon” or “lunch will be ready in a minute”