The Sunshine on My Face: A Read-Aloud Book for Memory-Challenged Adults

The Sunshine on My Face: A Read-Aloud Book for Memory-Challenged Adults by Burdick, Lydia. hardcover edition. ISBN: 9780070074477.

The First Picture Storybook for Memory-Challenged Adults to Read Out Loud with Their Family and Friends! This simple book for aging adults with dementia is the first of its kind. It addresses two of the major challenges that caregivers face: communicating with the person with Alzheimers and finding meaningful ways to fill the time. The author has termed it "A Two-Lap Book" because its designed to be read aloud by two people sitting close together; a person with Alzheimers and his or her caregiver or loved one. Like a childrens picture book, it uses straightforward language and cheerful, engaging illustrations. Unlike a childrens book, the topics relate to adult life experiences and the illustrations are of older people. The Sunshine on My Face encourages conversations by evoking thoughts of past experiences and current pleasures. In her introduction, the author explains that it can be read to the person with Alzheimers, by the person with Alzheimers, or in an alternating fashion. The author also recommends that the caregiver ask questions related to the text and illustrations to elicit responses from the person with dementia. This book is an inexpensive and easy-to-use tool for facilitating meaningful communication between adults with dementia and their caregivers/loved ones. It can be used as frequently or infrequently as the caregiver desires.