Opening a newspaper each day is a creature comfort to most individuals. Reading the articles, catching up on the news, doing the crossword puzzles, and checking how you did yesterday, all of this is routine to most people. However, Resense has quickly realized that not everybody has access to the newspaper anymore, many of these being individuals living with Dementia. Some may not be able to read it because the font is too small, or simply because it is hard to get a paper to their residence. As a company that has a mission to bring comfort and joy to those living with Dementia, we wanted to make sure that everyone can open a newspaper each morning! We are very excited to introduce you to the Resense Register, a research backed, dementia friendly newspaper.
As we created this product we kept our mission in mind. We wanted everything about it to bring comfort and not frustration. So, we designed it with seniors in mind. The first thing that we wanted was it to be easily accessible and readable. So, we ensured that it has a much larger font than a classic newspaper (around 16pts) and that the crossword was also larger and designed for seniors. In our research when going into care communities, we found that many individuals missed opening up a newspaper every day. Newspapers were soothing to them and decreased agitation. So, by creating the register we wanted to bring back that routine and activity of daily life and give them something that we know they will enjoy. Doing the same thing each day and adding structure has been proven to decrease agitation, restlessness and aggression.
Resense also has the goal to ensure that each product increases brain health, exercises the senses, and elicits long-term memories. There is nothing better than feeling a paper each morning, so we ensured that it was printed on classic broadsheet (newsprint) to replicate that sensory experience each morning. We also designed each article to elicit long-term memories for them. We have articles about pets that can remind them of the pets that they had, or if they love cooking we included recipes. We also added historical articles of people that they know such as Abraham Lincoln. Unlike a current newspaper, we wanted to make sure they knew and recognized the content in the articles that are included.
Finally, we included a crossword. For many of these individuals, it was a habit to do the New York Times Crossword or daily crosswords in their local paper. We wanted to bring that back and make it more accessible. So, we made them larger sized (about half a page) and included topics that they also know and recognize. Doing brain puzzles is a great way to keep the mind active and alert and encouraging them to bring back that habit is most beneficial for them.
As a thank you for sticking with me this long and reading this article, I'd like to offer you a FREE first month when you sign up for the subscription! If you are interested, please checkout our website and use code FREE23 for your first month free: https://shop.resensebox.com/products/resense-register