“The greatest gift is a passion for reading. It is cheap, it consoles, it distracts, it excites, it gives you knowledge of the world and experience of a wide kind. It is a moral illumination” Elizabeth Hardwick
When we were small children our parents and teachers taught us to read. Reading became one of the main avenues of our learning experience. In a book we can see all that others have done and all that we might achieve. We have seen history unfold and watched as the mysteries of the body, mind and soul are revealed to us within the pages of book or text. Reading not only increases knowledge and provides comfort but it can delay the symptoms of cognitive decline.
Alzheimer’s disease can be held at bay by reading. Consistent reading and problem solving allow the brain to compensate for the effects of disease. In other words, the effects and the progression of cognitive decline are slowed by reading. Here at the Kensington we have a beautiful and peaceful library that has been lovingly attended by one of our residents, Rae Marcus. Some of our residents may have hearing and visual losses which they believe prevent them from reading. There are avenues for these residents to help them to continue to read and to have the same library options available to them even with these losses.
The National Library Service and the Helen Keller Society assist individuals with hearing and visual loss, providing specialized materials such as digital book recorders and specialized players with large colored buttons that assist both visually and for hands that might be hampered by arthritis. If any resident would like to avail themselves of these services they need only stop by the nursing office and we can assist in helping you get back to reading.
We tell our children reading is fundamental, we may never know how true that statement really is, so… keep on reading!