What is Reading with Dementia?

Reading with Dementia is an exciting and vital project delivered by Suffolk Libraries in partnership with The Reading Agency.

In 2020, there were estimated to be around 13,000 people in Suffolk with dementia, and that is predicted to rise to around 21,000 by 2040, so we have created the Reading with Dementia sessions for our community members.

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About our peer support groups

Reading with Dementia provides weekly peer support sessions for those living with dementia and their families and carers. At each group we will use the Reading Well for Dementia collection curated by The Reading Agency as a tool to help and trigger open discussion. These books are also available to borrow from the library or our online catalogue.

The groups are run by a group of knowledgeable volunteer Community Champions who are there to support you and offer a listening ear. If you need help accessing further support, they will help signpost you in the right direction.

There is no need to register or be referred, you can attend the sessions as often or as little as you like. You are also under no obligation to get involved until you feel comfortable doing so. There will always be a hot drink and a listening ear waiting for you. We will also have dementia-friendly activities set up for the groups such as puzzles and wordsearches.

The groups are open to anyone affected by dementia and we are particularly keen to engage with all people and communities including those from minority ethnic groups, anyone with a learning disability and the LGBTQIA+ community.

At Suffolk Libraries, we understand that attending something new when you’re living with dementia can be a challenge that's why we have compiled a list of FAQs for the groups to try to answer any questions you might have before attending. If you think we may have missed something or have another question, then please get in touch with our project coordinator.

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Contact us

For more information about our Reading With Dementia project, or if you would like to arrange for us to come out to your care home or existing support group to talk more about the project and our resources, please contact Kayleigh Kent, Community Champion Coordinator, Suffolk Libraries Community Champion Coordinator, by emailing kayleigh.kent@suffolklibraries.co.uk.