“Sometimes you will never know the value of a moment until it becomes a memory.” – Dr. Seuss.
Memories are the glue that binds together our past with who we are today, and for an individual with Alzheimer’s disease, confusion around these memories can have a profound impact. Therefore, one of our goals in caring for seniors with Alzheimer’s is to help them hold onto and share memories to make sense of daily life.
One effective method to make this happen is creating a memory book, which can provide visual cues for dementia patients. A memory book contains photos and brief descriptions to refer back to when a senior has questions relating to their identity, members of the family, etc. Memory books are great for responding to repetitive questions and helping to clear any muddied waters. For example, suppose a senior ask who his sister is, whether he’s married (and to whom), where he used to live, etc. In that case, a straightforward response of “Let’s take a look at the memory book” can be very effective and help with redirection for a senior loved one experiencing challenging behaviors or emotions.
The book can (and should) be straightforward and basic. Select a sturdy binder, photo album, or scrapbook and put one or two photographs on each page, with a short description underneath. Include details such as:
Close family and friends, including those from the senior’s childhood, if at all possible
The older adult’s workplace
Special events and milestones
Interests/hobbies
Pets
Previous houses
You may want to create individual sections for every category to make it simpler to locate a specific picture when desired. For a more extensive or elaborate book, you can use this template, selecting which pages you want to include that’ll be most helpful for your loved one.
For even more creative Alzheimer’s resources and care tips, call Modern Health Home Care at 215.995.2012. We’re also pleased to offer a free in-home consultation to share more about how we can help with your senior loved one is facing. Our specially trained, compassionate dementia caregivers can:
Improve socialization
Offer creative approaches to manage challenging behaviors
Ensure safety in bathing/showering, dressing, etc., as well as reducing fall risk
Provide trusted respite care for family caregivers to take time for self-care
Engage seniors in meaningful, enjoyable activities
Assist with preparing meals, feeding, and clean-up
And much more
Call our Alzheimer’s disease care specialists to learn more about our senior expert care in Philadelphia and surrounding communities and to discover a higher quality of life for a senior you love.
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