Reading With My Aunt
by Family Councils Ontario
By Lorraine Purdon, FCO Executive Director
As a child, it was my aunt Margaret who introduced me to the children’s author AA Milne and his books of stories about Christopher Robin, Pooh Bear, Piglet, and Eeyore. Aunt Margaret spent a lot of time reading to me and she would take on the voices of the characters to my great delight. My favourite character was Eeyore, with my aunt putting on a voice that was deep and dreary – it always delighted me and would make me laugh. I had stuffed toys of the characters of the books and would act out the stories as she read them to me. We often laughed so hard while reading we would have to take a break from story time. Her laugh was joyous and innocent and full of love and laughing with her was one of my favourite times.
When Aunt Margaret was deep into her journey with Alzheimer’s and had become very isolated, I found reading to her was something we both could enjoy. I began to read the AA Milne books and tried my best to copy the voices she had acted out for me when I was a young girl. It was the deep sad voice of Eeyore that would make her laugh and laugh. It was such a moment of spontaneous joy that it made us both revisit a warm, comforting time when we were both young.
In the Long-Term Care Home, my aunt did not like to participate in many of the activities and it was difficult to get any response from her that was not negative. She had lived by herself for many years and really was a loner. Living with so many people in Long-Term Care had been a very difficult adjustment. She loved her solitude and had never been someone who easily made friends.
In the Home she became easily agitated and often just wanted to be alone. If the choice was left to her she would rather sit in her room than be in the lounge with others. My aunt was not a social butterfly but a very quiet solitary person. You can imagine what a shock it was for her to be constantly asked to participate in activities. She became more withdrawn and angry as time went by.
Reading these beloved stories brought us both a sense of calm and shared love for each other. On most visits I spent some time reading to her and each time we ended up giggling together. Small moments of joy and pleasure for us both.
The FCO Digital Reading project is set up for Family Councils to help facilitate these small moments of memory and love by reading together. It can make visits meaningful and is an opportunity to foster connections through stories. e-Readers did not exist when I was reading to Aunt Margaret. It would have been an amazing support for us had they been available.
Kobo Rakuten has worked with FCO to provide e-readers to Councils. Take advantage of this program and read to your resident. For further information: info@fco.ngo
Stay tuned next week for the final post in our caregiving blog series.