An Interview with Laurette Klier: Soul Tending Through Adaptive Reading at Nostalgia Works

Mare Ruland
Jun 24
5 min read

Updated: Jun 24

Interview with Laurette Klier of Nana's books

By Mare Ruland, Simon Health

Some work doesn’t just create resources — it reshapes how we understand connection itself.

That’s what became clear in my conversation with Laurette Klier, founder of Nostalgia Works (formerly Nana’s Books).

What began as a personal response to her mother-in-law’s experience with Lewy Body dementia has grown into a nationally recognized body of work spanning books, digital media, and relational reading practices designed to support dignity, presence, and connection.

Laurette doesn’t describe her work as simply educational or therapeutic.

She calls it “soul tending.”

The Origin of Adaptive Publications

Q: What first led you to create Adaptive Publications?

Laurette Klier: The work began around 2017 when my mother-in-law, who had Lewy Body dementia, was struggling with communication and becoming increasingly despondent. She was an avid reader, and I kept thinking about how to meet her where she was without taking away what she loved.

My background was in teaching and grant writing, especially adapting texts for emergent readers. So I started thinking: what if reading could be adjusted to bridge the gap between a person’s intellect and their current ability?

I focused on what she loved — especially memories of her old neighborhood in South Boston, which she called the “Irish Riviera.”

Q: What changed in your relationship through this work?

Laurette Klier: It completely transformed it.

We had a polite, somewhat distant 30-year relationship before. But through these adapted readings, something shifted. The filter of dementia softened, and her more unguarded self came through.

There was humor. There was warmth. There was personality I hadn’t fully seen before.

I really fell in love with who she was in that space.

Beyond Cognitive Stimulation: “Soul Tending”

Q: You often use the phrase “soul tending” instead of cognitive stimulation. What does that mean?

Laurette Klier: My work is informed by a belief — shaped in part by my Jesuit education — that the soul transcends both the body and the persona.

So rather than focusing only on cognitive stimulation, I try to focus on connection at a deeper level.

We call it “soul tending.”

That means creating materials that resonate emotionally, spiritually, and culturally. We’ve expanded to include a wide range of traditions and perspectives — including dharma, Buddhism, Sufi mysticism, Indigenous elders, and LGBTQ+ communities — because people deserve to see themselves reflected in what they read.

We’ve been honored with national recognition, but the real goal is dignity and belonging.

Q: What has been one of your most important lessons in this work?

Laurette Klier: Two things stand out.

First: accept the good. Pay attention to moments of connection and joy when they happen.

Second: always protect dignity.

People living with dementia deserve to be met with the same grace we would offer anyone who is vulnerable or struggling to express themselves. The goal is to create “material citizenship” (Kellyn Lee, PhD) — access to books and stories that are usable, meaningful, and welcoming.

Methodology and the Evolution to Nostalgia Works

Q: How are your adaptive texts created?

Laurette Klier: Our process is request-driven. We create content based on what resonates most deeply with individuals and communities.

We also use design principles that support readability and engagement, including structured layouts and thoughtful pacing of text and imagery.

We rely on feedback — what we sometimes call a “council of elders” — to understand what actually sparks conversation and connection.

Each book is designed to be interactive, with conversation prompts that help caregivers engage without needing specialized training.

We also offer different formats:

Minimal text, image-forward books
Wordless picture books
Full text poetic or narrative pages paired with imagery

Every version is meant to invite interaction rather than passive reading.

Laurette also added: "In addition to the adaptive text features, my emphasis is not so much on the act of reading, but the bi-directional good in the visit; facilitated by an interlude with canonical genre art and classic, familiar literature. People of all backgrounds in late life are in life review, they are making sense of their pasts in real time and seeking common threads. This adaptive large format nostalgia, with cultural and spiritual touchstones, affirms identity and stimulates word finding and expressive language, which makes for an enriched experience all around. Less focus is placed on maintaining skills and cognition and more focus on engaging the individual on a human level and giving them voice."

Q: Why the shift from Nana’s Books to NostalgiaWorks?

Laurette Klier: We rebranded to Nostalgia Works because the work is bigger than books.

It includes digital libraries, voice-enabled poetry, ambient video experiences, and shared engagement programs. We also offer weekly live sessions where people can gather and connect through storytelling.

We wanted the name to reflect that this is about more than reading — it’s about experience, memory, and connection across different mediums.

Accessing Nostalgia Works

Nostalgia Works provides access to both print and digital offerings designed for individuals, families, and care communities.

Offerings include:

Individual books available for personal purchase
Curated sets for care communities and organizations
A digital subscription library with weekly live engagement sessions

These tools are designed to be used at home, in care settings, and even in clinical environments where moments of connection are needed most.

About Laurette Klier

Laurette Klier is the founder of NostalgiaWorks / NANA'S BOOKS and co-founder of Mindful Libraries. She holds an M.Ed. from Boston College's Lynch School of Education and credentials as a Certified Dementia Practitioner (CDP), Certified Senior Advisor (CSA), and iCST practitioner trained through University College London under Dr. Phuong Leung.

A former teacher with deep roots in Jesuit education, Laurette began creating adaptive reading materials in 2017 for her mother-in-law, who was living with Lewy Body dementia — work that grew into a library of 50+ original print and digital books designed for dyadic reading and soul tending with older adults living with and without cognitive change.

Laurette's practice framework, Mid to Late Stage Life Review: Generative Communication via Dyadic Reading and Compassionate Sharing, is grounded in research in coping, life review, purpose, existential peace of mind, and relational joy. Her central conviction is that the soul is not diminished by dementia — and that what every person living with cognitive change deserves, at every stage, is beauty, dignity, and the company of someone willing to sit shoulder to shoulder with them.

The work has been recognized with six national awards for innovation in dementia care, including a Gold National Mature Media Award.

She is based in Lyme, Connecticut.