A new Reading Well for dementia collection has been launched in public libraries across England and Wales, coinciding with Dementia Action Week 2024 (13-19 May). This initiative, spearheaded by the national charity The Reading Agency in collaboration with Libraries Connected and SCL Cymru, aims to provide support and information to those affected by dementia, including individuals living with the condition, their carers, and family members, including younger children.

The need for such resources is pressing, with approximately 900,000 people currently living with dementia in the UK—a number expected to exceed one million by 2025. In addition, there are around 700,000 unpaid carers for people with dementia, and more than half of the UK public knows someone with a diagnosis.

“The launch, during Dementia Action Week, of our new book collection, is a significant new development of The Reading Agency’s health and wellbeing offer,” explained Karen Napier, CEO of The Reading Agency. “Written specifically for those living with dementia, their carers and loved ones of all ages, we believe that this unique, new, quality-assured book-based resource available from public libraries could play an important role in supporting the wider community affected by dementia.”

Evidence supports the effectiveness of the Reading Well programme, with over 9 in 10 people reporting that they found the books helpful and more than 8 in 10 stating the books helped them understand their health needs better. On top of this, 9 in 10 health professionals agree that books assist in supporting individuals outside of consultation time.

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The new collection features 20 books in England and 21 in Wales, including an original Welsh language title, alongside a selection of digital resources. These resources offer quality-assured information, advice, and support to help those living with dementia, their carers, and family members understand more about the condition. The collection includes a variety of genres, such as informational texts, personal stories, and children’s fiction, available for free borrowing from public libraries, as well as in e-book and audiobook formats. At How To Be Books, we spoke to “Somebody I Used to Know” author Wendy Mitchell about Alzheimer’s and how she has come to terms with her diagnosis.

Angela Rippon CBE, award-winning journalist, broadcaster, and Reading Well for dementia Champion, shared her personal connection to the cause: “I’ve become very involved in the world of dementia awareness after caring for my late mother who had the disease. I’m delighted The Reading Agency has developed this book collection to encourage people to read about dementia. When my mother developed dementia 20 years ago, I knew very little about it. I needed a great deal of help to learn how to cope and to help my mother live well with the disease. I believe Reading Well for dementia will be a step forward. The books are going to be the catalyst that will bring people together, inform them and educate them to become much more aware and most importantly, less frightened of what a future with dementia holds.”

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In partnership with the Books Council of Wales, the Reading Well schemes are available bilingually in all 22 Welsh library authorities, with books translated into Welsh and published in Wales. Notably, Reading Well for dementia is the first scheme to include an original Welsh language title.

Funded by Arts Council England and the Welsh Government, Reading Well is part of the Universal Public Library Health and Wellbeing Offer. The Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport (DCMS) has supported the universal roll-out of these reading lists to every library service across England, while the Welsh Government has ensured bilingual delivery of the scheme across Wales.

Reading Well for Dementia book list

• Coping with Mild Cognitive Impairment (MCI) by Mary Jordan
• What You Really Want to Know About Life with Dementia by Karen Harrison Dening, Hilda Hayo and Christine Reddall
• FAQs on Dementia by Tom Russ and Michael Huddleston
• Why Dementia Makes Communication Difficult by Alison Wray
• The Practical Handbook of Living with Dementia by Richard Coaten, Mark Hopfenbeck and Isla Parker
• Slow Puncture by Peter Berry and Deb Bunt
• Take Care, Son: The Story of My Dad and his Dementia by Tony Husband
• The Memory Activity Book by Helen Lambert 
• Unforgettable: Rugby, dementia and the fight of my life by Steve Thompson
• Somebody I Used to Know by Wendy Mitchell
• Dementia Essentials by Jan Hall
• United: Caring for our loved ones living with dementia by Gina Awad, illustrated by Tony Husband
• Remember Me? By Shobna Gulati
• My Book about Brains, Change and Dementia by Lynda Moore, illustrated by George Haddon
• How to Help Someone with Dementia by Dr Michelle Hamill and Dr Martina McCarthy
• Intellectual Disabilities and Dementia: A Guide for Families by Karen Watchman
• The Songaminute Man by Simon McDermott
• Elmer and the Gift by David McKee
• The Stories Grandma Forgot (and How I Found Them) by Nadine Aisha Jassat

The full Reading Well for dementia list is now available at libraries across England and Wales, with titles also accessible as e-books and audiobooks. For more information and to borrow books from the collections, visit your local library.

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