It’s possible that when you were younger, your elderly loved one used to encourage you to read more and turn off the television and now the tables have turned. Now they have lost their desire to keep reading and would much rather spend time in front of the television or looking at their phone.
Reading is just as important now for your senior as it was for you when you were a child. Let’s look at how reading can benefit your aging loved one.
Five Mental Health Benefits of Reading for Seniors
- Reading Helps Calm Anxious Thoughts. The adage of escaping into a good book is true. If your loved one struggles with racing or negative thoughts that play on repeat, a book can be a good way to quiet anxious thoughts and redirect the brain’s thoughts.
- Reading Increases Emotional Intelligence. Reading can help your loved one see the world in a new light. This can be especially helpful for seniors who haven’t experienced much of the world and find all of the diversity in lifestyles, cultures, and traditions he sees on TV frightening or concerning. Reading a good book about someone is who different than him can help them develop empathy and understanding.
- Reading Brings Inner Peace and Contentment. Just reading for a little bit each day can increase overall feelings of satisfaction and contentment.
- Reading Reduces Stress. Finding that perfect spot to sit, with his or her favorite drink on the table next to them and a good book in their hands can help your loved one reduce their stress levels and slow down their heart rate.
- Reading Improves Cognitive Functions. Reading is exercise for the brain, increasing its strength, building up those memory muscles, and improving cognitive functions like problem-solving.
Six Tips to Encourage Your Elderly Loved One to Read
Looking for ways to get your loved one away from the television and back into their favorite reading spot? Here are six tips to offer to help them start reading again.
- Have them start small. Many books can look intimidating. Have your loved one start with short stories that will wrap up more quickly than many novels.
- Introduce new forms of reading content. Reading doesn’t just have to be a book. Encourage your loved one to read a magazine (not just look at the photos), read a comic book, or read a different style of writing than he usually does.
- Make their reading nook welcoming. Find a comfortable spot that’s set aside for reading and make it welcoming with comfy pillows, good lighting, and a place to put up his or her feet.
- Read together. Create your own little book club and talk about what you’re reading so that they have an incentive to keep going.
- Offer assistive devices. Your loved one might need big print books or an e-reader where they can control the lighting and the text sizes.
- Have someone read to them. If your loved one can no longer read on their own, consider having a home care provider visit and read to them. A home care provider can sit by them and read their favorite stories out loud. Enjoying a good book read by a home care provider will provide many of the health benefits that reading on their own would do, plus it provides companionship.
