If you or your loved one is living with Alzheimer’s, you may have heard about the use of memory books, as well as home care nursing. These personal compilations of photos and descriptions are great for reminiscing, re-focusing, and strengthening communication skills in Alzheimer’s patients. The following is a step by step guide for creating a memory book for your loved one.
1. Search for Photos
A book of reminiscing would be nothing without the photos inside! Thus, the first step to creating your loved one’s memory book is compiling your photos. Look through old photo boxes, search through facebook, or reach out to family members to send any photos that you would like to implement!
2. Keep it Simple, Avoid Confusing Images
When making a photo book for your loved one, you might be tempted to include some funny images. Although you might think that your cousin’s fake mustache is hilarious, it might be confusing to your aging loved one. Thus, it’s best to look for large photos where you can clearly see the faces of everyone involved.
3. Gather the Supplies
To create your book for reminiscing, you’ll need to gather the necessary materials. This includes an adhesive, the printed photos, and a book for the photos. This can be grabbed by you, or with the help of a family member or a home health aide in Boynton Beach.
4. Include the Right Information
Each image should be paired with the relevant information. This should include names, birthdates, and relationships. If the image contains your loved one, make certain to place their name in there as well. For example, writing “my sister” is not that clear for someone with Alzheimer’s, as it does not include their name or their sibling’s name. Thus, the correct phrasing would be “Elizabeth with her sister Amanda.”
Some other things you can include are likes, pertinent life events, places that they have lived, beloved pets, etc.
5. Keep Your Facts Short and Sweet
This is somewhat difficult, as it’s so tempting to write at length about a classic family story. Yet, you must remember that this book is for the recollection of your loved one. Placing a long, ambling, family story could be received well, but it could also cause more confusion than recollection
Thus, it’s best to keep all information on the short side. Have everything written simply and clearly, for example: “Elizabeth with sister Amanda. Amanda born February 14th, 1920, died February 15th, 2020.”