Re-reading a favorite book is a good way to enjoy reading without having to worry as much about having the memory skills necessary to process and retain new information. A story in which the characters and plot are already well stored from multiple read-throughs allows the person with memory loss to pick up the book and enjoy the story from any page. Whether they remember exactly where they left off or not, they’ll know the back story and can easily get sucked into wherever they are in the plot. In contrast, even a person with mild memory loss might find that they have to go back and re-read the beginning of the story because they’ve forgotten important people or plot points, which can be frustrating to the point that people no longer want to read at all.
Even those who can no longer read may enjoy being read the highlights from their favorite books, so try reading a few passages out loud to judge their reaction.
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