Is there any kind of device that will allow my mom to read books?

Question

X

xinabess Asked June 2016

Is there any kind of device that will allow my mom to read books?

She recently had a stroke and cannot move her left (dominant) hand. My mom just loves to read and it would make all the difference in her current life at a rehab facility, where she has lots of downtime. I bought her a book stand, but she does not have the dexterity to use it properly. She can't operate the TV remote either (and isn't really into TV anyway). She is also not interested in books on tape, and even if she was, that would require being able to manipulate an iPod or a tape player, both of which are also impossible. Someone could read aloud to her, but it's not the same as being able to read on your own for as long as you want to. This is such a bummer. Is there any device that could help?

Senior Activities

4 Answers

Most
Helpful Newest
First Oldest
First

Recent Questions

Related Questions

score 0 · Answer 1

Her vision is actually just fine. She can read even small type. It's her hand that's the problem. She needs to learn how to use her right (non-dominant) hand to flip pages somehow. I will talk to the OT about it. With work, I have to believe she can do that. I hope so. (I remember when I worked as a waitress a long time ago, there was a regular customer who had no arms. He used his feet to use utensils. It was amazing! He actually twirled spaghetti on a fork.)

Helpful Answer (0)

score 1 · Answer 2

vision aid machines . one common brand is " aladdin " . i have one id sell reasonably but i suspect shipping would cost a lot . they weigh about 60 lbs - tv monitor and all . i live in central indiana . if you live close enough you might be interested .
if not , they can be found at stores called " low vision store " .

Helpful Answer (1)

score 0 · Answer 3

Have you spoken to her speech therapist and/or OT about this issue? There are a lot of issues that arise when a stroke damages the brain and getting back to usual activities like reading can be difficult, and NOT because of the lack of use of the dominant hand.

Is it possible that mom is having some visual field problems, comprehension problems, difficulties with procedural skills (what order to do things in?) I had a friend whose dad couldn't read the way he used to because of a very subtle visual processing issue that caused him not to be able to tell where the end of the line of print was (we solved that by having him put a Post It note at the end of the line.

Talk to mom's therapists about this and you may uncover some issues and some solutions.

Helpful Answer (0)

score 1 · Answer 4

Yes, this is such a bummer! I hope I am never in your mother's position.

I believe that the Library of Congress has audio book devices that are very easy to operate and that they loan out. Not only books but magazines and newspapers may be accessed. I haven't looked into that for many years, but I suggest it as a resource that might be worth exploring.

Books on a screen, such as Kindle or Nook or an iPad, etc. do not require turning pages. They might need someone to set them up and get Mom to a good starting point, but possibly she could manipulate the pages from there.

I can understand how important this is to her quality of life, and it is worth working on!

Helpful Answer (1)

Is there any kind of device that will allow my mom to read books?

4 Answers

Recent Questions

Popular Questions

Related Questions

Ask a Question