Susan Ostrowski, Co-Creator/Owner Reading2Connect®

Profile

Join date: Oct 18, 2018

About

Susan Ostrowski holds a master’s degree in remedial reading and a master’s degree in speech pathology from Columbia University. Susan has a wide array of experience in a variety of senior settings, from skilled nursing to day centers to traditional homes. With deep concern for the unmet social-emotional needs of older adults and a passion for innovation, Susan co-created and developed an organization called Reading2Connect®.

Reading2Connect® is devoted to bringing back the joy of reading to elders and adults living with dementia. Reading2Connect® produces age/dementia friendly books and educates staff/partners on implementing a unique, innovative program that fosters independent, social reading for older adults in all settings.

Writing on the relationship between reading and dementia, Susan has contributed to multiple publications, including the American Speech and Hearing Association Perspectives Journal and the Thieme Medical Publishers Communication Sciences Case Study textbook.

She has presented on the topic of reading and dementia at multiple conferences including The International Council on Active Aging, Pioneer Network, Center for Innovation, Alzheimer’s Association state chapters, and Leading Age state partners.

Susan is a 2021 Mather Institute Promising Practices Award Winner, a 2021 Beryl Institute Research Grant Recipient, the 2021 Dementia Society of America Dementia SMART Award Winner, and the American Speech and Hearing Association Recent Clinical Achievement Award (2020) and Innovator Leader Recognition (2023).

Susan’s mission is to increase societal awareness of how age and dementia affects – and doesn’t affect -- our ability to read, and how to revive the automatic

Posts (14)

May 14, 2026 ∙ 3 min

14. Early-Stage Dementia: When Reading Begins to Change

Often before a formal dementia diagnosis, subtle cognitive shifts can begin to surface. For many people, one of the earliest places they notice those changes is in reading. A complex plot becomes difficult to follow. Characters blur together. A chapter must be reread. The experience of reading, once effortless, becomes work. These changes can feel confusing at first because they do not always resemble what people think of as “memory loss.” Instead, reading may simply feel mentally taxing. And...

Apr 14, 2026 ∙ 2 min

13. Independent Reading vs. Facilitated Activities: Why the Distinction Matters

In senior living and community settings, we often use the word engagement as if it were self-explanatory. If people are gathered. If someone is leading. If participation is visible — we assume engagement is happening. But over time, I have come to believe something more nuanced: heavy facilitation is not synonymous with meaningful engagement. There is a difference between doing an activity and initiating an experience. And for adults — regardless of cognitive change — that distinction carries...

Mar 25, 2026 ∙ 3 min

12. The Myth of “Attention Span”: Rethinking What Engagement Really Looks Like

In conversations about aging and dementia, the phrase is often heard: “Their attention span just isn’t what it used to be.” It is typically offered with kindness. Sometimes with resignation. Almost always with certainty. Yet what appears to be shortened attention is frequently something more specific: slower processing speed, cognitive fatigue, or a mismatch between the design of the material and the needs of the reader. Those distinctions matter. Attention is the capacity to remain...