The Charles Press, Publishers
	A Loving Voice II: A Caregiver’s Book of More Read-Aloud Stories for the Elderly
	Edited by Carolyn Banks and Janis Rizzo

In response to readers overwhelming demand and following the huge success of their first book, A Loving Voice, editors Carolyn Banks and Janis Rizzo have compiled this rich second anthology of stories and poems written specifically be read out-loud to older adults — A Loving Voice II: A Caregiver's Book of More Read-Aloud Stories for the Elderly.

Like its predecessor, A Loving Voice II offers an imaginative and creative way for professional and non-professional caregivers, family members and  friends to reach out to, communicate with, and entertain the older people in their lives and in their care, particularly those who are bed-ridden, confined to a nursing home or hospital and those with dementia.

In a moment of inspiration that has been appreciated ever since by caregivers the world over, Carolyn Banks and Janis Rizzo came up with the idea for A Loving Voice when they recognized the desperate need for, and the serious lack of, reading material for this large segment of the population. Banks, who at one time worked in an adult day-care center, explains, "I could see that the read-aloud experience was something that mattered to the [older adults] I was reading to and I also discovered that storytelling was an excellent way to stimulate conversation and that it provided a wonderful experience." She was also concerned to discover that caregivers, at a loss for suitable read-aloud material for the elderly, were resorting to children's books.

In response, Banks and Rizzo invited writers to submit stories and poems for their anthology. The 56 selections they decided to include (from the hundreds they received) are those that they and the eldercare experts they consulted felt would be most valuable and entertaining for their elderly audience: stories that evoke nostalgic memories and warm feelings of the past, interesting stories that stimulate conversation, provide a bridge between the past and present and a bond between reader and listener. All of the selections can be read in one sitting (no longer than 10 minutes), are clear with easy-to-follow plots and simple dialogue that lends itself to reading aloud. Moreover, as Banks and Rizzo discovered, reading aloud is an intimate, warm and friendly activity that encourages physical closeness, something that is sorely needed as we age.

As Carolyn Banks reports, "The pieces we have chosen are not insultingly simple. Even those who are able to read these selections on their own will find them engaging and entertaining. These are stories and poems with purpose, stories and poems with heart, stories and poems we are proud to present. Each we hope will help you find your own loving voice."

Included are short stories and poems written by an impressive array of American authors including Michael Dirda (Pulitzer-prize winning book critic for The Washington Post), Judith Bell (winner of the Washington Prize for fiction and a regular contributor to Art and Antiques and Elle magazines) and editor Carolyn Banks, an author whose equestrian mystery novels, the most recent of which is Death on the Diagonal, have a large following.

This book and its accompanying first volume has received critical acclaim from professional caregivers and grateful family members alike and has been enthusiastically reviewed in hundreds of papers, magazines and journals for its inventive method of communicating with and bringing joy to the older adult.

REVIEWS

A tender loving voice reaching out to the disabled, the bedridden elderly, the Alzheimer’s patient. — Senior Beacon

A delightful and varied collection of...stories and poems (some previously published) suitable for reading aloud to an elderly listener.— Publishers Weekly

Anyone who has spent time caring for the bed-ridden knows that boredom and melancholia are among the side-effects of illness, especially in old age. Sometimes not much alleviates real despair, but one of the best all-round helps is reading aloud. This anthology—of mostly original stories, anecdotes, memories and poems—is geared to pieces that “Evoke nostalgic, happy memories and warm feelings of the past.” Among the contributors are notable authors like Louise Erdrich and Shelby Hearon but many of the best pieces are by unfamiliar writers who deserve to be better known. —Washington Post

From USA Today:

Inevitably, the best ideas are often the simplest. And the most obvious. Every weekend, millions of well-meaning people head out to nursing homes and hospices to visit elderly or ill relatives and friends. And they sit there in awkward, guilt-filled silence. Carolyn Banks and Janis Rizzo have come up with a solution....CONTINUE READING this feature story from USA Today

From The Miami Herald

In her work with the elderly, in her visits with her dying mother-in-law, Carolyn Banks dreaded the inevitable silence. Those aching, empty moments between two people—one busy with the hope and promise of a future; the other bored and lonely, sometimes angry and in pain, facing the end.

Banks groped for a way to comfort her husband’s mother and show compassion to the old people at the adult day-care center where she worked part time. And she watched others struggle to communicate, to share quality time, with their aging, ailing parents and grandparents.

Then Banks hit on an idea—to read aloud to the elderly, the way she had been read to as a youngster...CONTINUE READING this feature story from The Miami Herald
 

292 pages. Paper Edition Only. ISBN: 0-914783-70-X. List Price: $24.95

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MAKE SURE TO LOOK FOR THE FIRST
LOVING VOICE ANTHOLOGY,
A Loving Voice: A Caregiver's Book of Read-Aloud