Reading helped break the fog of my parents' dementia

Jo Glanville writes that reading aloud to her parents with dementia brought moments of engagement and that evaluations of The Reader's programmes and a Liverpool study reported reductions in symptom severity and improved wellbeing.

Jo Glanville describes how reading aloud became a way to reach both of her parents as they lived with degenerative illness. Her mother died of vascular dementia and her father had Parkinson's disease with a milder form of dementia. She found that, though they were often silent and unable to initiate contact, they could follow stories, recognise language and respond when engaged. The piece also notes public discussion about assisted dying and cites Ian McEwan's advocacy in that debate. Key observations: - Reading aloud triggered clear moments of engagement from both parents, including enjoyment of stories and poems. - The author noticed intact comprehension and recognition of obscure words despite outward silence. - Motor or expressive decline meant they could not initiate communication, so others had to prompt interaction. - Case studies from The Reader and an evaluation by Philip Davis at the University of Liverpool are reported as indicating improvements in communication and wellbeing. - The author states a personal view that people with dementia need advocates and opposes extending assisted dying to them. Summary: The article presents reading aloud as a bridge that revealed preserved cognitive responses in the author's parents and as part of wider evidence from reading groups and an academic evaluation. The author acknowledges that some illnesses can progress to a point where connection becomes impossible. Undetermined at this time.