Escaping into a good book no longer a lost experience for people living with dementia.
Dorothy Wordworth's Grasmere Days is our latest book, created with and for people living with dementia here in the North East. It's part of our ongoing work providing creative opportunities for ageing well.
Dorothy is best known as the sister of the Romantic poet William Wordsworth. She is also an intrepid hill walker and curious nature lover. Her journals are full of poetic imagery, her support was essential for her brother but also Samuel Taylor Coleridge.
Until now, books for people living with dementia have often been limited to self-help books, memoirs and picture books. There's been little provision for those who enjoy reading to continue with this interest.
Written by Sarah Lawrance, designed by Wendy Lewis and with the support of The Wordsworth Trust, the book delves into Dorothy's famous Grasmere Journals, filled with detailed observations of life with her brother William and their surroundings in the Lake District.
Sarah, our Publications and Heritage Programme Manager, said: "With a story on every page, people can have an enjoyable and meaningful reading experience that may have been lost to them. Some readers may not have heard of Dorothy Wordsworth but she was an incredible woman who captured in her letters and journals so much that is completely relatable."
It was while developing our first book, Bewick Tales, we found a gap nationally in provision for people living with dementia who want to continue reading for enjoyment. This finding was highlighted by the Reading Agency’s 2024 Reading Well for Dementia list. There are very few books on the list aimed at supporting people to continue reading themselves as an enjoyable activity.
Gemma Jolly, head of Health and Wellbeing at the Reading Agency, added: "We know that many people living with dementia want to continue to read and there is a need for activities and resources to enable that. We support Equal Arts' work developing books with and for people living with dementia and look forward to seeing the new series of books and opportunities they present."
Dorothy Wordsworth's Grasmere Days can be ordered from our online shop for £15.99.
What people are saying about our latest book and Reading with Dementia
Author Kate Mosse CBE: “This is an inspirational initiative. Reading helps us to stand in other people’s shoes and shows us worlds beyond our own. I was first introduced to the work of Dorothy Wordsworth by my grandmother and, at the end of her life, it is what I read to her when she could no longer read for herself. Congratulations to everyone at Equal Arts.”
Dr Karen Franks, Consultant Old Age Psychiatry at Gateshead Health NHS Foundation Trust: “When people are living with dementia they want to carry on doing the things they’ve always enjoyed, their hobbies and interests, the things that give their lives meaning and pleasure, just like any of us, and reading is one of those things. From a brain health point of view we know continuing to be physical, mentally and socially active are all good for maintaining brain health even in people with dementia and reading plays a role in this. It might be that someone will read something and may forget the details shortly afterwards, however we know the feelings and emotion, the pleasure and good feelings instilled in them continue and remain with them.”
