National Read a Book Day

Friday 6 September is National Read a Book Day – the perfect opportunity to lose yourself between the covers of a good book. There are numerous benefits that are associated with reading and studies have shown that reading can slow cognitive decline in old age. Reading books can also provide a much-needed respite from the day-to-day strain of facing a life-limiting illness and coping with treatment.

Some people with life-limiting illnesses find that reading in the standard way can become more challenging. Their concentration span may decrease, it may become difficult to sit comfortably for any length of time, or to physically hold a book and turn the pages. Listening to audio books or reading on a digital tablet may be helpful, or even having someone read to you.

At Martlets, our patients often ask their loved ones and our staff members to read to them. It can be a source of comfort and connection.

Jaheeda, a healthcare assistant on our inpatient wards, shares her experience of reading to patients and bonding over books together.

“A while ago, one of our patients who is Hindu asked if I could read to her from the Bhagavad Gita, the holy book of Hinduism. That’s not my religion, I am a Muslim, but I was able to read it for her as I speak several languages, even though it wasn’t written in my mother tongue. I didn’t want to offend her by getting the chanting wrong. There is a certain way to say it out loud, but she said it didn’t matter to her that I was from a different faith and couldn’t speak it perfectly. She just wanted to feel the words and the deeper meaning. I’ve also read from the Bible to patients when they have requested it.

I also looked after a patient who was from Israel. She saw me as an individual, a person caring for her, not as someone from a different faith. Her husband and I got on brilliantly because we’re both Arsenal supporters! In fact, we got on so well that she even wanted to gift me her husband’s Arsenal memorabilia books that he’d brought in! It was a lovely thought, but while we don’t accept gifts like this. We read the books together when he visited and had some great football chats.”

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Books that relate to end-of-life and death and dying

We all have favourite authors and books that we return to again and again, whether were fans of fiction, factual, memoir or personal development. At Martlets, we are often asked by patients’ loved ones for suggested books that relate to end-of-life and death and dying. Here are just a few titles that may be of interest on this subject:

With the end in mind by Kathryn Mannix – Dying, death and wisdom in an age of denial
Being Mortal by Atul Gawande – Illness, medicine and what matters in the end
Dear Life by Rachel Clarke – A doctor’s story of love, loss and consolation.
Grief Works by Julia Samuel – Stories of life, death and surviving
Always and Forever by Debi Gliori & Alan Durant – a children’s book

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Published 06/09/2024