Grown Up Storytime Comes to You

As part of the City of Burnside’s Disability Access and Inclusion Plan, Burnside Library has been trialling a new specialty event, The Burnside Home Library Grown Up Storytime - aimed at increasing community outreach to residents living in local assisted living and aged care facilities.

In August 2023, the program delivered its first group sessions, visiting both Regis Burnside and Estia Health Toorak Gardens for 90-minute readings of poetry and short stories by Burnside Library staff, with a second event held in mid-October.

Run in conjunction with the Home Library Service, the Grown Up Storytime initiative aims to increase social interaction and mental stimulation for those living in assisted care who cannot make it to the library in person.

Burnside Home Library Melissa Davenport said the program will hopefully make a difference in the lives of those they visit.

‘In the Home Library Service, we see the difference we can make in people's day even with such a small interaction – this is the magic we hope to recreate through this idea,’ Melissa said.

‘The Library is an incredible community resource, and we try to make sure that everyone can benefit from it even if they cannot visit the library.’

During their stay in assisted living facilities, residents may experience social isolation, depression and anxiety. Studies indicate that consistent social engagement can aid in reducing these potentially detrimental effects, offering improvements in mental well-being and fostering a sense of belonging within a community.

Burnside Library Coordinator of Customer Service Judy Brown said it was still the early days of the trial program, but hopes were high that with more exposure, the service could grow to reach more people across more facilities.

‘We’ve had positive feedback from our previous two events.’ Judy said.

‘Burnside Library is always looking to innovate our service offerings to residents and the wider community.

‘We have plans to deliver a special Christmas-themed event later in December that we are extremely excited about.’

Still, in the early stages of development, Burnside Library is currently taking expressions of interest from any other aged care or assisted living facilities in the City of Burnside area that would like to participate in the fledgling program.

City of Burnside's Melissa Davenport reads a book of poetry at Estia Health Toorak Gardens