Q: Happy New Year to You! is the 2nd book in the Two-Lap Book™ series. How would you describe these books?

A:  A Two-Lap Book is an instant activity especially designed for a person with Alzheimer’s disease or other dementia and a family or professional caregiver to enjoy together. Two-Lap Books have large, easy-to-read text and beautiful, vivid illustrations. In this second book in the series, lists of popular, age-appropriate songs to sing together are presented. A list of conversation prompts to spark conversation and interaction is also included. So, you could say that these are books that celebrate being alive.

Caregivers of people with Alzheimer’s often ask themselves the question: What do I do or say after I say “hello” to my loved one? Two-Lap Books are a special, loving answer to that question. The caregiver stops the usual caregiving activities, sits down next the person with Alzheimer’s, and rests the book across both of their laps. Whether the companion guides the person to read the words or the words are read aloud to the person, the two people are reminiscing, sharing, and being “connected.”

Q: How did you develop the idea for these unique books?

A: I wrote the material for the first book in this series for my mother, who was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease in 1998. My mother was in an advanced stage of Alzheimer’s, not initiating conversation and barely answering our questions. I found myself wondering if my mother was reading the magazines I gave her to browse through. I realized the only way for me to know was if I sat down and read some material with her. And since I couldn’t find any material specifically written and appropriate for people with Alzheimer’s to read with a reading companion, I wrote some myself.

I thought a book about the pleasant activities my mother was doing in her life would be a way for us to communicate, as well as focus on positive things. With the progression of the disease, I was at a point where it was all too easy to look at the negative things that were happening to my mother. I wanted us to experience being alive and happy together and the book helped us do that.

Q: Two-Lap Books are designed especially for older adults with memory impairments. But, if it’s simple text you need, why couldn’t you just read a children’s book with a person with Alzheimer’s disease?

A: The problem with children’s books is that they don’t describe the life experiences of older adults—of people like my mother. In Happy New Year to You!, the words and pictures are of happy activities we all do throughout the year, like asking someone to be our Valentine, going on picnics, and watching children going home from school. This book celebrates older people doing different pleasurable things throughout the year. Also, it’s important not to insult a person with dementia and I think reading a children’s book could have that effect.

Q: How do you know if a person with memory impairment can read or not?

A: You may not know, as I didn’t know, whether a person with memory impairment can still read. The first time I sat down with my mother I wasn’t sure whether she could or would read my written material. I suggest that you tell the person that you have a special book you would enjoy reading with him or her and you think he or she would enjoy reading with you. Open the book over your two laps and encourage the person to read. You may have to do this several times, gently and with no pressure. If it becomes clear that he or she cannot or will not read, then you can read to the person and still talk about the book.

Q: Do you recommend a “best” way of using these books with someone with memory impairment?

A: You know, Two-Lap Books can be used in multiple ways with people with memory impairments, so every time you sit down to read, do what feels best for you and your reading partner. All of the ways involve the reading companion sitting beside the person (or as close as possible) and guiding him or her through the pages. The person with memory impairment can be invited to read the words on each page to his or her companion. If the person can’t read or isn’t willing to, the words can be read to him or her by the companion. The pages can also be read in an alternating fashion, one page by the companion and the next by the person. Or, the readers can just pick one page to read and discuss.

In addition to reading the book’s text, you can talk about the illustrations, or use them to encourage memories about the past. Happy New Year to You! includes song suggestions for each illustration, as people with Alzheimer’s often enjoy singing songs, especially of their “era.” The “goal” is to have a pleasurable time with the person you are reading with, so whether you read every page and talk about every illustration—or just sing one song on your favorite page—is up to you!

Q: How can you start a conversation with a person with memory impairment? What types of questions can you ask about the illustrations?

A: The books include conversation prompts for every illustration. These suggested questions can help engage a person with memory impairment in conversation. In general, you can ask a person to describe the scene in the illustration or to point out people, objects, or colors he or she sees. In Happy New Year to You!, there is a different kind of dog for every month, so playing “Find the Dog” can be a fun activity, too.

Q: If it’s hard to get a person with Alzheimer’s involved in an activity, how do you recommend getting him or her interested in reading this book with you?

A: In my case, I used enthusiasm and encouragement to get my mother engaged, as she seemed to be quite content not doing much of anything and that’s what I suggest you do too. Sometimes I made a “deal” with her and said I’d read a page if she would read the next. And I talked with my mother about each page after we read it and looked at the pictures. Once I got her “going,” we would read until the end of the book. I see enthusiasm and encouragement as the key to involving people with Alzheimer’s in this activity.

Q: You read a version of the first book in the series (The Sunshine on My Face) with your mother. What did you both get out of the experience?

A: My mother enjoyed reading the material from the book with me. She read the words out loud, we looked at the illustrations, and she answered my questions about both. When she answered my questions, she usually smiled as she answered. Sometimes, and I truly loved these times, her eyes lit up and her whole face brightened, in remembrance of a loved activity or person. I felt I had my mother “back” during these wonderful moments.

I also enjoy hearing my mother’s voice again, as when she read the words of the book she spoke in full sentences. The time we spent reading together was the most quality time we had together in that last part of her life. You know, life is very difficult when you care for someone with this disease and see the person “slipping away” more and more over time. This book is all about what we still share and enjoy together. The Two-Lap Book concept is about bringing this appreciation of being alive to both readers.

Q: Happy New Year to You! focuses on the months of the year. Why did you choose this topic?

A: The months of the year have special activities that we all experience and have fond memories of. It is fun to go through the year and experience together the highlights, and come back to the beginning again. It is a satisfying cycle for both readers. Two-Lap Books are a celebration of life for both readers, and it is especially wonderful to have this book begin and end with celebrations of a New Year’s!

Q: Two-Lap books are unique books––the first illustrated books for people with memory impairments. How have people with memory impairments and their caregivers responded to the books?

A: I have been thrilled to hear from so many caregivers from around the world who have read Two-Lap Books with their loved ones with Alzheimer’s. They tell me what great “resources” Two-Lap Books are for having an enjoyable visit for themselves and their whole family, including the children! Caregivers say that it is like a “mini-vacation” for them, as they stop the usual and, of course, necessary caregiving activities to take time to relate and enjoy their loved one and focus on what is still enjoyable.

And, I am delighted that the first book in the series, The Sunshine on My Face, received a National Mature Media Award in 2005.

Q: Some caregivers have reported that a person with Alzheimer’s who hasn’t spoken in a while has suddenly started speaking when reading or looking at the books. Why do you think this happens?

A: Yes, I have heard of a number of situations, similar to my mother’s, where people with advanced dementia read the book’s sentences or respond to questions after not speaking in sentences for quite some time. The experts say that people with Alzheimer’s lose their way to the words at varying points in the progression of the disease. It seems that some people, like my mother, who have lost the ability to generate a sentence on their own, sometimes maintain the ability to read words and can speak this way.

Q: Are you finding this book has universal appeal to caregivers and people with Alzheimer’s?

A: Yes, we are finding that is true. Two-Lap Books were designed to be universally appealing and meaningful, and it is quite satisfying to see that that is the way they are, in fact, being received.