About
Much research has been conducted around the use of practical, lexical cue cards for seniors living with dementia. Scant attention, however, has been paid to nurturing and retaining older adults’ ability to read on their own, for pleasure. For the sheer joy of reading. Like individuals of any age, older adults desire meaningful engagement, learning for the sake of learning, and social relationships. Adapted books provide the platforms for these quality-of-life necessities. Accessible recreational reading positively affects the cognitive, social, and emotional health of all adults, but is especially valued by those living with reduced cognitive resources. In our clinician training session, therapists learn to apply evidenced-based therapy strategies (e.g., Montessori principles, Spaced Retrieval Treatment, and Fading Cues) in the context of adapted reading. • Create individualized adapted reading material. • Use Reading2Connect® books for informal therapy assessment purposes. • Apply adapted reading in functional and restorative therapy sessions. • Use Reading2Connect® books in group therapy sessions under PDPM guidelines. • Educate support partners (staff and family) to use adapted reading for multiple therapeutic purposes: -- Responding to distress eg, Simulated Presence Therapy -- Increasing occupation -- Decreasing risk of social isolation -- Using “shared reading” during remote video visits • Meet CMS documentation requirements. Upon completion of the course, trainees will receive a certificate as a Reading2Connect® Certified Facilitator. The training consists of two videos, each running about 40 minutes.