In 2017 I published my first novel ‘Different Genes’, an easy read romantic novel with a bit of a twist which focussed on the adopted 60 year-old heroine’s journey to discover details of her past. I soon became aware of the way ‘later life’ readers and writers struggled to find recognition, especially in the world of publishing, for books with themes which reflected their most recent experiences.  

So I started the facebook group and website ‘Books for Older Readers’ and (despite some criticism for being ageist) this soon gained popularity with ‘older’ writers and readers. The not-for-profit magazine style website and group evolved and is now known as ‘Autumn Chickens’ intended to appeal to an audience in ‘mid-life and beyond’. Some of our original contributors are still active within the group, but we have evolved too. We’re obviously older, many still writing, but we’ve also continued on our later life journeys with new hobbies, experiences and careers, as well as bereavements, new relationships and, for many, a greater caring role as those people close to us have become more physically or mentally frail.

At this point, I feel I must declare an interest, as my husband has now been diagnosed with both dementia and Parkinsons, and my role as a carer has increased significantly. Interestingly, this life change has given me a renewed focus on both reading and writing, whilst other hobbies and interests have lost some of their importance. Why is this, I wonder?

I believe it is because, at a time when my life was in danger of closing in on itself, I reached outward and grabbed the power of creating and enjoying the written word with renewed enthusiasm.

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So what might a focus on reading and writing offer to carers?   

Escape

At a time when travel and holidays may have become more difficult to achieve, a good book can transport you anywhere in the world. A skilled author will take you to exotic places from your armchair at no more cost than the price of a book.

Loneliness  

A carer’s world can be very isolated. Friends may have disappeared whilst the person you care for may have lost the capacity to share and converse with their previous level of understanding. But you are never alone with a book. Well written characters take a place in your life, and, if you choose to write, you can create your own companions.

Stimulation

It’s all too easy for a carer to become engrossed in their own concerns, losing much of the external stimulation which previously exercised their brain. Books make you think, and writing gives your grey matter a vigorous work-out.

Portability

You can carry a novel, a notebook and a pen or tablet with you anywhere. What other hobby can be equally undertaken in your own home or in a hospital waiting room. It takes up very little space and disturbs no one.  

Communication

As a writer and reader you have access to both online and real-time communities of like-minded people who will empathise with your interests, want to hear your point of view and may even take a professional look at your situation for inclusion in a blog or a future novel!

Flexibility

Reading and writing are not necessarily timetabled. As a writer, it helps to be disciplined, but it is really flexible. You can work around the demands of caring, even to the extent that if you have to stay awake all night, you can read or write rather than feeling a lack of purpose.

Mutual Support

There are very many helpful books written by carers which can be enormously supportive. And if you want to write, then a regular blog about your own experience will be greatly appreciated by other carers, giving you a chance to unpack your world and a renewed sense of purpose.

Self-Help

For me this is the big one! Writing enables me to make sense of my feelings and untangle my emotions. Because writing will eventually need a structure to be readable, it is a form of therapy. I’m not suggesting that writing can substitute for counselling, but it is a controlled way of getting things out of my head without constantly overthinking issues in a rambling manner. Both reading and writing are good for my mental health.   

 

Claire Baldry is the creator and editor of the Autumn Chickens website. She is also a writer of light-hearted poetry as well as a blogger and author of two novels about family relationships and love in later life. You can find out more about Claire by visiting her website www.clairebaldry.com or clicking on the links to her books.

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