Ten to 20 people sit in a semi-circle; in front of them a person opens a book and begins reading to the group. No, this is not a school classroom; it is an almost daily scene at Mill Creek Alzheimer's Special Care Center, located on the west side of Springfield. The group consists of patients in various stages of dementia.
John Record moved his wife, Gail, into Mill Creek in 2022. He wanted to find a way to keep her connected to familiar and enjoyable things. She had always been a voracious reader. He said, "We know from research that the one thing that connects with people who have dementia is music. I thought maybe reading out loud could tap into the same part of a person's memory and interest the way music does." He began reading magazine articles to his wife and watched how she became engaged and happy.
Reading aloud has been proven to help patients, with many studies about the effect on cognitive function through reading aloud.
Record met Jane Treadwell whose husband, Victor, had also moved into Mill Creek. She had been reading poetry and then a 900-page book to her husband. Record and Treadwell shared what they were doing and thought reading to more of the residents could be possible. They told a friend, Mary Addison-Lamb, about their idea; she had been reading to hospice patients and was ready to help. The three researched read-aloud programs as well as the most appropriate books for patients, frequency of readings and length of a session. The reading program was launched.
Record hopes that this work will motivate people to look at things differently. "So often, people tend to look at dementia patients with a focus of what has been lost – that the glass is half empty. True, memory is not what it once was. But, dementia patients are still living their lives; finding a way to connect with the memory they have is important," he said.
Children's books offer the most appeal. They provide relatable themes that tap into memories of growing up, are easy to follow, often have chapters that can be read in a short time frame and have illustrations that provide visual stimulation. Addison-Lamb said, "Something intergenerational or with nature and just a good story appeals to people."
Each volunteer choses one day each week to read and then choses a book. Record began with the Winnie the Pooh series, Treadwell chose Anne of the Green Gables and Addison-Lamb, All Creatures Great and Small. The readers focus on choosing books that are happy, not serious, political or dramatic. A fourth person joined as a reader, making it possible to hold reading sessions four days a week. The sessions last around 30 minutes.
The impact on patients has been more than any of them imagined. Record said, "The reaction from residents has absolutely blown me away." One example is a male resident who speaks very little, if at all. Many times, when Record visited his wife – prior to starting the reading program – he would say hello to the resident, but there would be no facial response. Later, the patient attended a reading. Record was reading Winnie the Pooh, and said, "I looked over and this patient had the biggest smile on his face. That is when I knew that this was really connecting with people."
Program assistant Kristen Baalman shared that the program has been a huge success. "We have residents who are nonverbal; many show alertness during the readings. What started as a small group is now regularly attended and the residents enjoy the time."
Treadwell said, "As the reading activity grew, more residents became engaged, even asking to share their own story that had been triggered by the reading selection."
A female patient, totally nonverbal with no motor skills and in a reclining wheelchair, was brought into a reading. Record said, "At the end of the reading, two staff members commented how much the patient had been engaged. They had never seen her look so happy and joyful. It was obvious her brain was still functioning, and in some way the reading connected with her."
Addison-Lamb donated a basket of books, and the group developed a flyer inviting family and friends to get a book and read to their loved one.
Record said, "This is something we hope can be replicated by others in other places where patients could benefit from having books read to them."
Cinda Ackerman Klickna has donated her children's book, Out of the Beaks of Birds: Our Crazy, Pesky...Verbs to the program.