Protected: Support our Christmas Appeal to Raise £10,000

Shared Reading and Dementia

Dementia is the UK’s biggest health and social care crisis – 1.4 million people are expected to be diagnosed by 2040. The research paper Quality of Life Benefits of Shared Reading Groups for People Living with Dementia shows how Shared Reading can significantly improve quality of life by helping people with dementia connect to themselves, and those around them.   

Through a growing network of partnerships with support services and care homes, The Reader is working to reach people at all stages of progression, from early intervention in the community to more advanced onset in acute care wards. 

Shared Reading creates a space where everyone’s voice is valued and respected. 

Donate to make a difference to the lives of people living with dementia.

Research, spanning over a decade, shows that Shared Reading is an effective non-medical activity that improves mental health and alleviates loneliness by building connection. The Reader has been reading with people with memory loss since 2006, creating safe, calming and stimulating spaces for people to connect to themselves and those around them. 

Participation in a Shared Reading group provides space for personal interaction and care home staff have reported that following groups, residents appear less agitated, contribute in new ways, and even sleep better when groups have taken place. 

The difference you'll make

£3 could provide reading materials and resources for one Shared Reading session. 

£10 could pay for one volunteer group leader to travel to deliver their group for a month. 

£25 could fund one Shared Reading group session for people with dementia and their families. 

£40 could fund the system of support needed for a volunteer group leader to deliver their group for six months. 

£100 could fund a Shared Reading group for people with dementia for a month. 

£580 could train a volunteer group leader to deliver a new weekly Shared Reading group.