Happy New Year to You: A Read-aloud Book for Memory-challenged Adults

You won’t find a simpler way to interact meaningfully and enjoyably with someone with memory impairment! Just sit down together, open this colorful and engaging book across both laps, and begin reading, reminiscing, and communing.The second book in the Two-Lap Book™ series, Happy New Year to You! celebrates each month of the year with colourful illustrations and short, easy-to-read text. Individuals with memory impairment and their caregivers will enjoy the familiar and friendly images: rain showers in April, weddings in June, school days in September. Pictures and text together will spark boundless opportunities to discuss and remember happy times and comforting experiences.

Styled with the appeal and simplicity of a children’s book but created for adult audiences, this book can serve multiple purposes:

• Stimulate conversation and reminiscence

• Encourage physical closeness and interaction

• Provide a calming diversion from an upsetting episode

• Inspire intergenerational exchanges with children

• Increase social interaction between staff and residents

• Promote reading skills in residents who retain their literacy

Reading Happy New Year to You! is an instant activity—no planning or preparation required. Open it to a favourite illustration… read it from start to finish… or select just a page or two to spark an exchange. Tips on how to promote engagement with the book are provided, as well as song suggestions for each illustration! Here is a natural and unlimited opportunity to rebuild connections for the person with dementia, stroke, multiple sclerosis, and related disorders.