The Scottish Book Trust commissioned new research that reveals 75% of Scots are worried about dementia. They’ve launched a new programme, Reading Is Caring. It provides personalised training on creating shared, sensory reading experiences to support people living with dementia.
The research revealed that almost 80% of Scots are worried about losing a meaningful connection with loved ones. Over 70% are worried about losing precious memories.
Reading is Caring is designed to ease daily challenges by creating special moments of connection, sparking positive memories and relieving stress. It is currently only available in one region of Scotland and the charity is raising funds to reach more people in need of support.
A recent Reading is Caring participant, caring for her husband who has dementia, said: ‘Reading is Caring has made an amazing difference. Even on days when John is feeling less bright, it makes him laugh and smile and he’s much more relaxed.’
Marc Lambert, CEO, Scottish Book Trust commented: ‘More and more people in Scotland are living with dementia or caring for someone with dementia. We have seen the huge difference Reading is Caring personalised training makes to daily lives of those affected by dementia and it is equally beneficial to the person living with dementia and the person caring for them. We want to reach more people all over Scotland with our specialised support.’
Reading is Caring is currently running in the Scottish Borders and will move to Edinburgh and the Lothians in August. You can read Rhona and Mary’s story about how Reading is Caring helped them.
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Jacqueline Munro I am the Digital Content Editor at "The People's Friend", looking after our website, social media channels and podcast.
