Don’t Forget Your Patrons with Memory Loss

Program Description:

Research has shown that many people living with Alzheimer’s and other dementias can still read and can benefit from using a wide variety of library materials. This webinar will give practical advice about how to choose books and other reading materials that are uniquely suited to each individual, following the tenets of person-centered care. In addition, ideas for developing group programming will be shared, based on successful programs held in libraries and memory cafes across the country and around the globe. Literacy activities can include reading out loud, browsing through books, singing, choral reading of poetry, word games and more. Previously held misconceptions will dissolve when you see how positively people living with dementia respond to these opportunities.

Presenters:

Mary Beth Riedner resigned from her position as University Librarian for Roosevelt University in Chicago, IL in 2008 to care for her husband with a young-onset dementia. For the past decade, she has served on the leadership team of the American Library Association’s interest group called Library Services for Dementia/Alzheimer’s (LSDA). She is the developer of the award-winning Tales & Travel book and reading program designed for those living with dementia. She has presented at numerous professional conferences and is involved with the national Dementia Friendly America initiative. She also presents library related programs at two AZ memory cafes and is a member of AzLA.

Tami Hurst has worked for the Olathe Public Library in Olathe, Kansas for 22 years. For the past 6 years, she has coordinated the Olathe Public Library’s Library to You service, a free home delivery service for individuals who can’t physically travel to the library. She and her coworker Roya Mortazavi also make monthly visits to local retirement communities and care centers to do outreach and literacy-based programming such as Tales and Travel Memories programs for older adults. Tami has a personal interest in improving the quality of life for people living with dementia as her father passed away from Alzheimer’s in 2019.