“Care through books”: when nursing home residents work on their memory thanks to bibliotherapy

A light rain beats on the tiles. Despite the winter cold which is affecting the department, the atmosphere is warm at the activity and adapted care center of the Auscitain de la Roseraie nursing home. As a preamble to a “bibliotherapy” session, Pauline, a volunteer worker, presents a painting to a small group of residents.

“Who can describe this painting to me?” asks the volunteer, who has training in bibliotherapy. Captivated, the residents participate with enthusiasm. “It’s a bit dark,” says Françoise. Another comments: “We see older people, others less so.” For a few minutes, everyone takes part in this art history exercise.

Then quickly, silence invades the room. Pauline begins reading. Today, it is the tale of a fisherman, finding himself in difficulty to feed his wife and children, which is read. Once finished, Pauline casts a mischievous look at her residents, “so, what was this account about?”, and they all start with their analysis.

“A moment of escape”

Every two weeks, Pauline heads to the Auscitain nursing home to provide these reading workshops. “I do reading sessions aloud, as well as small exercises to constantly stimulate them, so that there are exchanges with them,” explains the Gersoise. These are actually bibliotherapy sessions, “care through books”.

“The residents comment on what I read, the principle being that it works on their memory. I start reading, which is a moment of escape for the residents present. They are calmed, then we discuss the story,” says the volunteer. An important moment of memory work, since some residents suffer from neurocognitive disorders. “For them, it is difficult to follow the thread of the story exactly. But the fact of hearing a voice which tells them stories, often linked to the past, allows them to work”, explains Jennifer Pasqualini, assistant of gerontology care and responsible for the PASA of this nursing home.

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Through several exercises, such as recalling a life memory related to the story read, residents can maintain their memory. “What is interesting for us, beyond the fact that they have vision problems and that they can no longer read themselves, is that there is a reminiscence aspect. Residents can discuss their own experiences. At each workshop, there is a lot of work on memory. Pauline also presents them with artistic works, so there is also work on general knowledge.

“I like it when they take me there”

As usual, Pauline closes the workshop with a musical touch. “I always end with music. Today, we are going to listen to the song written by Charles Dumont: 'Non je ne regrette rien' (one of the greatest successes of the singer Edith Piaf, Editor's note).”

The workshop, as a whole, is very appreciated by Françoise, a resident of the nursing home. “I like it when people take me there. I like it when others read and let me listen. When I'm here I have a good time.” An opinion shared by another resident, who continued to participate in the various exercises. “This workshop makes me spend a moment. It reminds me of things from the past, rather than staying in the room or going to peel vegetables, that interests me more,” she concludes.