Reading with Dementia – shaping a new national conversation about dementia-friendly reading
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Parallel 3
17 November, 2026 5:00 – 6:10 pmVoices, Verse and Melody: Creativity in Dementia Care
Sarah Lawrance is a heritage professional who has previously worked at the John Rylands Library (University of Manchester), English Heritage and Seven Stories the National Centre for Children’s Books. She joined Equal Arts in 2022, where she now leads on dementia-friendly reading and publishing. Sarah works with people and collections to create stories and is the author of dementia-friendly titles Bewick Tales (2024) and Dorothy Wordsworth’s Grasmere Days (2025), both published by Open Ended Books.
Anna Goulding is a cultural gerontologist (interested in the social norms, cultural beliefs, and embodied experiences that shape the meaning and experiences of ageing), based at the University of Northumbria who has been researching creative arts and older people projects since 2009. She has looked at the process alongside the outcomes of cultural engagement, and the barriers to taking part.
Dr Anna Goulding
Associate Professor
Northumbria University
Anna Goulding is a cultural gerontologist (interested in the social norms, cultural beliefs, and embodied experiences that shape the meaning and experiences of ageing), based at the University of Northumbria who has been researching creative arts and older people projects since 2009. She has looked at the process alongside the outcomes of cultural engagement, and the barriers to taking part.
Summary
Reading with Dementia is a collaboration between creative ageing charity Equal Arts and Newcastle Libraries, with action research partner Northumbria University. From February 2025 to July 2026, with support from Arts Council England, we have tested and evaluated new approaches to supporting people living with dementia to read for enjoyment. A national symposium in Newcastle on 7 July 2026 will bring together people with lived experience, and people working in libraries, arts & culture and dementia care from many different parts of the country, to exchange learning and start a conversation about next steps. In this presentation Sarah Lawrance from Equal Arts and Dr Anna Goulding from Northumbria University will share findings from the project so far and map potential future developments in this emerging area of work.