Active Ageing and Older Persons Living with Dementia: A Shared Reading Intervention

The aims of this chapter are twofold. The first aim is to report upon the outcomes from an active ageing programme—namely share reading sessions with older persons living with dementia and who reside in a long-term facility. The second aim is to explore this active ageing programme’s impact on their quality of life and well-being. The use of shared reading programmes has been shown to positively impact the psychosocial and emotional domains of persons living with dementia, leading to decreased agitation, anxiety, and depression; improved coping skills; enhanced familial interactions; improved cognitive skills; relief from emotional or mental stressors; and development of self-concept. This chapter reports on an active ageing/shared reading programme spread over a 7-week period. Much positive feedback was recorded at the end of the sessions as key beneficial impacts such as social engagement and interaction, cognitive stimulation, and a sense of community. Future studies are warranted on the interface between shared reading activities and the dementia care setting, especially in relation to quantifiable data, randomised control trials that demonstrate the changes in the levels of quality of life and well-being before and after the sessions have been carried out.