Reading has to fit around you
Looking after a family member, partner or friend can fill every hour. Care may include medication, meals, appointments, personal care, paperwork, worry and broken sleep. Caregivers often say that their own needs come last. In that setting, advice to simply set aside an hour a day to read can sound unrealistic or even insulting.
This article offers smaller ideas. They aim to keep a thread of reading in your life when circumstances are demanding, not to add another task. If none of it fits right now, that is understandable, and you can come back to it later.
Why a little reading may be worth keeping
For some caregivers a few pages offer a short mental break, a way to step into another place for a few minutes, or a return to something that feels like themselves. Others find reading a way to learn about a condition or about the care system. Both are valid uses. It would be wrong to claim that reading will relieve stress or cure exhaustion; it affects people differently, and many caregivers find that they cannot concentrate at all in difficult times. Treat reading as an option, not an obligation.
Make the barrier very low
Choose forgiving material. Short stories, essays, poems and magazine-length pieces are easier to start and stop than a long novel with intricate plots. A book you already know and like is another good option. Rereading familiar favorites is not a waste when your attention is stretched.
Keep something within reach. A book in the bag you take to appointments, a paperback by the bed and an e-reader or phone with a book loaded all increase the chance of reading in odd moments.
Count the odd minutes. Waiting rooms, pharmacy queues, time in transit and the minutes while someone naps are fragments that add up. Using waiting time for reading is one of the most common ways caregivers manage to keep up.
Set a tiny target. One page, one poem or one short story is enough. Reaching a modest goal feels better than failing to meet a big one.
Use your ears
Audiobooks suit moments when your hands and eyes are busy: cooking, cleaning, driving or sitting beside someone who is sleeping. Audiobook listening also removes the strain on tired eyes. If your mind wanders, try shorter episodes, or material with a gentle pace. Some caregivers prefer familiar voices and calm stories at the end of a hard day. Libraries often lend audio and e-books through digital lending, which can be useful if you cannot leave the house.
Reading with the person you care for
Depending on the person’s health and wishes, shared reading can be a way to be together that is not about tasks.
- Read aloud a few pages of a novel, a newspaper article or poems. Reading aloud can be relaxing for both of you, and the person may enjoy being read to if their own vision or concentration has declined.
- Look through familiar books or photograph albums together, and let memories lead the conversation.
- Use short, simple texts if the person tires easily or has difficulty following long passages.
If the person has dementia, a stroke or another condition affecting language or attention, follow the guidance of their health team about what is helpful. Some people respond warmly to familiar rhymes or well-loved stories; others find reading frustrating. Watch their cues and stop if they seem upset.
Reading to understand the situation
Many caregivers read about conditions, treatments and benefits. Forms, letters and leaflets can be dense. Reading official forms and letters slowly, one section at a time, and noting questions to ask a professional can make the process less overwhelming. Be careful with online health information: sources vary in quality, and checking where a claim comes from matters. Information from the person’s health team, a recognized health service or a reputable patient organization is usually a safer starting point than a forum post. Reading cannot replace professional advice for the person you care for.
Support and rest
Caring can take a physical and emotional toll. If you feel overwhelmed, depressed, anxious or exhausted for a sustained period, speak to your own doctor. Many places have caregiver support services, respite care or support groups, and these can sometimes free up time for rest, reading or anything else that helps. Asking for such help is not a sign of weakness.
Give yourself permission
Some seasons are not reading seasons. If you find that you cannot concentrate or have no energy for it, you have not lost the habit. When circumstances change, even slightly, you can start again with a short book and a small target.
A caregiver’s reading life might consist of one poem a night, a few chapters of an audiobook on a drive and a magazine in the waiting room. That is a real reading life, and it counts.