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Hi all! My brother got our mom a little stereo CD player for her bedroom. Mom used to love to read. (She chose this apartment because there is a public library downstairs!) But with dementia, she can't read well anymore. Without print books, she has little to entertain her besides the TV - even then, she is frequently too sick/weak from her kidney disease to even get out of bed. However, the library has a huge CD book collection, and I also have a bunch of credits on Audible. I notice there are tons of free classic novels available online too. (I can broadcast audio from my smartphone to the stereo with Bluetooth.)

I'm wondering if anyone has some ideas of what audio books (or just regular books that might be available in audio format) might be appropriate for someone with dementia? Meaning not TOO complicated a plot! Mom typically likes just about anything with good writing and a female main character (except formula romance novels), doesn't care whether it's a historical or modern setting, and has previously enjoyed reading a wide variety authors, from Charlotte Brontë to Maeve Binchy. (But others might be reading this thread, so don't feel limited in your suggestions!)

Thoughts?

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I have a hard time with audio books. I can't keep my mind from wandering so I miss what is being said so I would think a Dementia person would have the same problem. Their minds skip around as it is.

I had gotten a blind friend some cassettes years ago. He loved these particular ones because each character was played by a different voice so you could follow better. At that time, it was usually just a narrator. Not sure now.
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Hey, everybody, thanks for your input so far!

Given that we all watched the 2 latest Star Wars DVDs last night, and mom followed the storylines well enough to only have to ask for clarification on certain relationships, I suspect she could probably follow a book-length storyline....as long as it didn't have a bunch of complicated plot twists to have to remember! She is forgetful and confused about a lot of things, but she is pretty good at losing herself entirely into a fictional story. I think that comes from her lifelong depression.....it's a learned escape mechanism.  Plus she spent her childhood in front of a radio, rather than a TV. 

I was thinking she might enjoy stuff she's already read, and maybe some young adult stuff for sure....maybe classic stuff like Little Women or Anne of Green Gables. I already started her with some Maeve Binchy short stories from the library, as her writing is kind of like the easy-listening music of storytelling!

I don't think she's bothered by sex and violence - she's been watching True Blood (definitely an "adult" show about vampires and other supernaturals) with me recently!  She just finds the plot a bit confusing....which....to be honest, so do I!

Definitely planning to make her some more music CDs. I've put on the "Jukebox Oldies" music channel on the TV a lot, so I'm getting a better idea of what she really likes. (Plus I got to hear all about the Little Richard concert she went to in 1957!)
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Fibber McGee?
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OH boy, my MIL who loved to read lost the ability to stay with a story fairly early in he journey with dementia. Would she enjoy listening to music CDs with music from her growing up years? Or 'old time' music?
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The difficulty I have had getting audio books for my mom is she didn't want sex or violence, back when mom used to belong to the CNIB library they sent a lot of young adult stories.
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Dori, how nice your bro got mom this player. I would check into short story collections. With dementia, it will be very difficult for your mom to follow any sort of story line. This would not have worked well for my mom, but her dementia was very far along. She could not even remember to keep her hands off the iPad monitor. I would have to restart numerous times through watching a movie, never tried audio books. Maybe stick with music, old radio shows with music and story line?
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