I have finally made good on a long-held wish to create a reading group for people in a nursing home. On New Year's Eve I sent out queries to facilities in my area, describing what I had in mind. By 4pm I had a very enthusiastic response from Glengarry in Mosman.
Today I ran my first group of four members. As the residents all have some level of dementia, the readings have to be chosen carefully. Today we read some poems by Robert Browning, Robert Frost et al, but the best response came for some short Jeffrey Archer stories with twists in the tail/tale.
Anyone can offer to volunteer for groups like these. Some clients of nursing homes have very few visitors and there are many opportunities to contribute if you feel inclined.