Was She Still Able to Read

It has been over a year since I last posted to this site.  Juggling life is always a challenge.  Even though a lot of time has passed since my mother died, my emotions are still a little raw.  I also have not posted to my education blog at Li-Bear-Y Corner.  I have however kept up with Windows 2 My Life.  Mostly writing short slices of life stories.

I decided tonight that it was time to return.  Thank you for sharing my journey  I am sure there will be detours and probably some bumpy patches up a head.  I hope you will add your thoughts.

Books have always been a part of my life.  My mother read to me as a child.  My mother loved books and reading.  When she developed Alzheimer's I would read to her.  I mostly read children's picture books and we would look at the pictures.

One day I read an article about Lydia Burdick.  She had written a picture book for her mother who had Alzheimer's disease.  The title of the book was called "The Sunshine On My Face:  A Read-Aloud Book for Memory Challenged Adults.  I ordered it.  The first time I read it to Mom, she responded.  It was amazing.  She connected to the book in ways she never had with the children's picture books.

Lydia Burdick has developed a new literature genre.  I have recently noticed a few more authors publishing books in this category.  I would encourage you to check some of them out.

I recently learned a fact I did not know when my mother was still living.  Reading is one of the last skills that a person with Alzheimer's lose.

Years ago my mother would attend a cooking school.  If I was in town I would join her.  After I moved to Billings I attended The Taste of Home Cooking Show every fall.  I would go with my sister-in-law, her two adult daughters and my mom.  Every person who attends gets a goody bag, complete with their cooking school magazine with that nights recipes.  They also set up big screen tv's so you can see the person cooking.

Mom had her magazine in front of her.  I had turned the pages to match the dish being prepared.  I got side tracked and didn't turn my own page.  When the cook moved to the next dish mom nudged me and let me know the page needed turning.  She looked like she was intently reading the new page.  I remember feeling amazed.

Carol a friend shared an article about individual's with Alzheimer's still being able to read.  Thinking back I see that Mom probably was reading.  What doors that would have opened if I had understood that.


Related Posts

Many Alzheimer's Patients Find Comfort in Books - NYTimes.com

http://melissahoward.suite101.com/prevents-alzheimersread-to-kids-a42031

http://www.alzpoetry.com/reading/

http://www.alzinfo.org/09/blogs/give-anyone