Award-Winning Publications
Our Values
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We are a non-pharmacological intervention.
NANA'S BOOKS offer a gentle, side effect-free experience, providing social emotional stimulation that reduces stress and anxiety, enhances mood, and fosters relationships for individuals living with dementia.
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We are identity-based.
NANA'S BOOKS honor diverse elders through identity-based content, celebrating varied life paths, faith and cultural backgrounds to ensure every reader feels seen and valued.
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We celebrate inclusion.
NANA'S BOOKS respect readers of all ages and developmental levels, people of diverse groups and abilities with series-wide authentic representation.
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We are grounded in research.
NANA'S BOOKS are grounded in best practices, aligning with the UK's D.E.E.P. Guide, ongoing therapeutic nostalgia work, and in two current university studies.
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We are in the spirit.
NANA'S BOOKS' spiritual content fosters true integration of the self, facilitating life review, promoting transcendence, inner peace, and meaningful reflection.
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We promote joy.
Watch the Video TestimonialCarrie Aalberts, renowned gerontologist and dementia specialist (AKA Dementia Darling) shares our books! See how we promote joy!
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We support care partners.
Clinician ReviewWe create books that people love to read, share, and read again. Here’s what our friend, Christina Hardin-Weiss, SLP, CCC of Adaptive Equipment corner has to say about our books.
The Power of Stories & Art
Consider the power of a familiar story or a beloved artwork. It's not just about remembering facts or recognizing images; it's about feeling connected to something greater than ourselves and experiencing the comfort of the familiar in a world that sometimes feels uncertain.
NANA'S BOOKS tap into this power, offering more than just cognitive stimulation. We provide opportunities for genuine human connection, moments of joy, reflection, and shared experiences. Through carefully curated content that respects the reader's life history and preferences, we're not just occupying time - we're honoring personhood.
A New Approach To Care
Our approach challenges traditional care notions by creating with, not for, people living with dementia. NANA'S BOOKS invites readers to co-create meaning through purposeful engagement. (Every book has a ‘BOOK CHAT’ guide on the last page to spark reminiscence and conversation.)
We emphasize choice and self-selection of books, affirming each reader's autonomy and dignity. By saying "Your preferences matter," we empower individuals in an environment where options are often limited.
NANA'S BOOKS are beloved by those who miss having books on-hand, offering comfort and relaxation through familiar favorites. Readers can enjoy their personal collection anytime as independent leisure reading, or in community activities.
Building Bridges and Fostering Connection
NANA'S BOOKS serve as a bridge between people, fostering the kind of authentic, engaged moments that are the cornerstone of wellbeing. They provide a shared language for communication when words -and joy- may be difficult to find.
Talking Engagement with Teepa and Mirador!
Respectful Content
Our content is age, ability and developmentally appropriate for adults.
Assistive Fonts & Layouts
Our hyperlegible, sans serif oversized fonts, high contrast colors, simplified layouts and predictable formats make reading easier for people experiencing visual challenges.
No Mention of Alzheimer’s or Dementia
NANA’S BOOKS are for everyone and are sensitively crafted to appeal to a wide audience, irrespective of current cognitive states or retained abilities.
No Clinical or Remedial Appearance
Our books look like ‘regular books’ because they are. They are adapted to meet the needs of people with neurodivergent brains who do best with supportive texts and layouts.
Habilitative, Purposeful Engagement
NANA’S BOOKS innovate by supporting lifespan reading, learning, and social activation. Our books support elders in life review with the visual and auditory cues they need to stimulate thought and trigger recollection. A visit or time alone with our books create opportunities to connect, engage, question, self-regulate, co-regulate and learn.
About Us
What began as a search for engaging, dignified reading materials for my mother in law, a once-avid reader living with brain change in residential care, led me to discover a gap in the marketplace for elevated resources that honor the intellect and spirit of the individual. I decided to create them myself: books that could be enjoyed again and again- independently and with loved ones and care partners, books that my twins, then fourteen, could use to relate to their grandmother joyfully, and in a whole new way- through shared reading.
People adore these little gems, and you will, too.
Tell me about your in-home and/or community reading needs. I’d love to hear from you.
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