By Trina Dungavel
I wanted to tell you a little bit about our book club at Burton court and the woman who runs it.
Tracey Rogers is a senior carer and has worked here for 4 years. In her spare time, she enjoys reading, mainly autobiography’s. She also loves spending time with her family and likes to swim and go hiking.
Book Club Begins
Tracey started the Book Club around two years ago, it began as a once-a-week group but has grown in popularity, and now there are three sessions a week. She started the club to get to know more about the ladies and gentlemen she was supporting and found people were coming along simply because they enjoyed the relaxing atmosphere.
Our ladies and gents enjoy various reading materials from international and local newspapers, poems, short stories, romance, thriller, and biographies to true crime books! Book club covers everyone’s interest.
One-to-One
Not only does Tracey have the ever-popular book club, but she is also in demand now for one-to-one sessions. These are people who prefer to read alone or just like to hear their weekly horoscope.
Tracey also encouraged staff to become involved with the book club’s weekly theme. We have had word searches and puzzles, even arts and crafts and bakery!
Families and friends have been really keen to get involved and have been generous and donated some lovely things, like books and magazines, and some absolutely beautiful handmade bookmakers.
Everyone who joins book club receives a certificate to prove they are a member, and everyone wants to be in this club. Tracey has done such a terrific job; really elevating the club into a place our ladies and gentlemen really look forward to every week.
Book Benefits
For many of us, the ability to escape into a different world or learn something new or see far off lands is no further than opening a book. Still, for those living with Dementia, reading can be a challenge.
This challenge can be due to changes in the brain, which make visual understanding challenging. As the condition advances, some may have problems with concentrating or following a plot or theme in a story.
Important work
Books are as important as who we are because they can represent our choices and tastes. Some of us like trashy romance novels and others the classics, while some may prefer autobiographies, newspapers, or history books. It doesn’t matter really what we like to read. It is the act of reading that is important; it is a way of keeping our minds active or ‘cognitively stimulated‘. This is why Tracey’s work with the book club is so important. Our ladies and gentlemen think they are just having a lovely relaxing time reading and talking about books. In reality, their minds are active, they are communicating, and they are having fun.
Excellent work Tracey