The Sunshine on My Face: A Read-Aloud Book for Memory-Challenged Adults [LARGE PRINT] (Hardcover)

~ (Author)

Editorial Reviews

Product Description

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. This read-aloud book is the perfect way for family members or friends to visit or for caregiving staff to get to know residents.

In this innovative book, colorful illustrations accompany short, easy-to-read text that describes universally appealing experiences: feeling the warmth of the sun on your face, listening to music, watching children play, going for a ride in the countryside. 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 first-of-its-kind Two-Lap 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 the Sunshine on My Face is an instant activity—no planning or preparation required. Open it to a favorite 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—or just use your own creativity! Here is a natural and unlimited opportunity to rebuild connections for the person with dementia, stroke, multiple sclerosis, and related disorders.

From the Back Cover

You won't find a simpler way to joyfully interact with someone with Alzheimer's disease, dementia, or other memory impairment. Sit down together, open The Sunshine on My Face across both laps, and begin reading and talking. A Two-Lap Book™ is the perfect way for family and friends to visit with a loved one or for caregivers to provide a more personal touch. Open to a favorite picture … read it aloud from start to finish … or select just a page or two to spark a conversation.

While memory-impairing disease such as Alzheimer's gradually strip away communication skills, The Sunshine on My Face brings alive remaining abilities and lets you re-connect in meaningful ways. The easy-to-read words and colorful pictures relate to most people's lives, present and past. Use them to inspire intergenerational exchanges with children, encourage physical closeness, maintain reading skills, or provide a calming diversion. A Two-Lap Book's appeal is universal and timeless.

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 32 pages
• Publisher: Health Professions Press; 1 edition (December 21, 2004)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 007007447X
• ISBN-13: 978-1932529098
• ASIN: 1932529098
• Product Dimensions: 11.3 x 9.4 x 0.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 12 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (15 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #350,819 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

12 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Not Only For One's Parents, May 9, 2005

By	Kevin Killian (San Francisco, CA United States) - See all my reviews (TOP 100 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)

Let me second the enthusiasm for Burdick's delightful book, which indeed will bring back some haunting images from even the most caved-in mind. It is not, however, solely geared for family members and I would encourage all to buy a copy of this book, you do not need to have a mother or father with Alzheimer's, it is perfect for reading along with any friends of yours, even younger people, who are troubled by memory challenges in the Alzheimer's range. For example, I took this book with me on my visit to the local elderhostel near my home, offering to share it with anyone who would like to read a good book, and once we were snuggled up on a park bench overlooking a pool swimming with koi, the "two lap" approach found me reading aloud to a white male stranger who might have been in his early 80s, a dignified man whose clothes were impeccable, if somewhat out of style, and obviously he had memory problems as he could not tell me his name. We sat down and began to pore through the book, with its lovely illustrations--not childlike, just very clear and nostalgic. After a few pages he told me that he had been in the Normandy Invasion! There are other suggestions in the book, tips on how to say things in ways which don't threaten the memory-challenged adult, and to my astonishment the man was telling me about a friend of his who had drowned in the surf on Omaha Beach, and he (my new friend) had climbed to safety on the back of his dead buddy. When we got to the part about his favorite song, he began to sing, "My Buddy," a song which I did not know but he sang it so loudly that others in the park turned their heads and a few chimed in.

Some residents said that this man had not spoken aloud in years, and one said this was the first time anyone even knew that my new friend was an American. He spoke so little that, based on his name, many had thought he was a Frenchman marooned in this country by dementia. That day we truly felt "the sunshine on our faces." Even though it was not (strictly speaking) a good memory, it was still a precious one.

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A gift for caregivers and loved ones, April 20, 2005

By	a CT reader - See all my reviews

Lydia Burdick has given caregivers and family members a true gift by showing them a way to interact with their loved ones who may be slipping into dementia. This book is simple and lovely and evokes happy memories that can bring about conversations with those we love. The illustrations are bright and colorful and the text is simple and direct. And it's big enough so it fits on two laps at once! This is a true work of the heart.

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The Sunshine on My Face, April 9, 2005

By	Susan Berg "alzheimersideas" - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

This book is an excellent book to share with one or more memory challenged adults. Every page can spark memories from the past. The idea page at the end of the book is quite helpful if the reader is at a loss for ideas. Each time the book is read can be a whole new experience. I highly recommend this book to caregivers, family, friends, or professionals working with the dementia population
Susan Berg AD BS(COTA/L) author of, Adorable Photographs of Our Baby: Meaningful, Mind Stimulating Activities and More for the Memory Challenged, Their Loved Ones, and Involved Professionals"