Now I understand.
She has since been diagnosed with "mild to moderate stage" dementia. Reading, which has always been such a joy and a refuge for her, has become difficult. She finds the twists and turns of a novel complicated and the many words on a small page overwhelming.
She is coming to live with us very soon.
I have wondered about what I could do to keep her mentally stimulated and emotionally happy. Children's books seemed to have many of the features she needs, but the pictures and the stories seem almost insulting for a woman in her 80's. . .Then, I discovered Shadowbox Press, a company who makes interactive books for memory-impaired adults. Who knew? Certainly not me! These books are wonderful! They are colorful, large, hard cover books. The print is large and the subject matter is for adults. The variety of subjects are such that either a man or a woman could enjoy them. The one I own is, "Seasons". It is creatively written and the photos are BEAUTIFUL (and large, for aging eyes). The photos are actually vivid and nice enough to be framed and displayed on the wall if one was so inclined! Sometimes my ulterior DIY decorating persona comes through - Forgive me! Of course I won't destruct this lovely book which I'll soon give to my Mom!! Still, the fact is that the book is such that it could be a coffee-table book, left out and easily within reach for an eager reader. At this stage of dementia, I think Mom will be able to read this book herself and will enjoy the pictures as well. If the time should come that she cannot read, I feel the pictures will still give her joy.
I've also noticed there are suggested "Conversation Starters & Activities" (at the back of the book) which a caregiver could use to coordinate with the reading of this book. What a great resource!!
The only thing I wish I could change is the notation at the bottom of the cover, "An Interactive Book for Memory-Impaired Adults" (which is also repeated on the title page). I know Mom will find this "offensive, and maybe even depressing". I plan to cover this with some type of sticker - that way she will enjoy the book and never know it is a "special type" of book, which to me is the beauty of these books. They are written in such a way that one would never know they are "specially written" for one with some very special needs.
I'm already looking at other books offered by Shadowbox Press.
Mother's Day will be here in the Spring and I'm gonna order the "Dogs and Puppies" book for her.
The books are very affordable.
Doncha just love that?!
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Shadowbox Press gave me the book, "Seasons", for the purpose of review.
The opinions are my honest thoughts.
I am happy to recommend these books!
The opinions are my honest thoughts.
I am happy to recommend these books!
I am learning so much from you! All of the things you have discovered will help MY mom, too! I am ashamed to admit I never even thought of any of these things! My mom used to read too. Thank YOU for sharing what you have learned.....no telling how many people it will help!
ReplyDeleteThis was a real "find" for me too, Linda.
Delete"None of us knows everything but together we know a lot" - I read that somewhere and have found it to be the case.
Tomorrow is our court date - please keep us in your prayers.
where do you get these Shadowbox books. My mom keeps a book on her table, but I don't notice any bookmarkings going on. I think it's because the memory is down to about 5 seconds now, and I doubt she remembers the plots long enough to enjoy them. She too was a readaholic, like me, when she was younger, and a seamstress, and a crochet-er and any other crafts that came along. Now she won't attempt any of those. I sort of test her reading every once in a while with a sign I put up in her room, but remembering the sign 5 minutes later is the problem. I guess I too wouldn't want to read if I couldn't remember what I just read. I hope it works for you. I enjoy your blog very much and your research. I've read about everything in our library on alzheimers and dementia and posted most of it on my momsdementia.com blog but I hadn't thought of some of these things as I was depending on the professional caregivers at the nursing home having the right resources. They do have a sensory room, which is a dark room filled with bright lights that move, sort of like Christmas lights. Mom said they've been using it more and more here lately; I'm assuming they are using it with her more as she's gone deeper into dementia. Keep up the good work.
ReplyDeleteJudy, these books are beautiful.
DeleteYou can find information at
http://www.shadowboxpress.com/
I hope this is helpful.
How wonderful. My mother in law might like these books too. Thank you!!
ReplyDelete