Alzheimer’s Disease: Keeping the Memories Alive

Alzheimer’s and other dementia related diseases of the brain have devastating effects on memory loss in those who progress through the illness.  The ability to learn new information and develop new relationships diminishes.  However, often times memories from the past can be more clear and enjoyable to focus on.

Family members can help to keep those memories alive by making photos or video easy to enjoy after converting to digital.  Here are some suggestions:

Digital Photo Frames

Load family photos on an SD card to view on a digital photo frame. It can be turned on in a room where the person spends the most time and the cycling of the pictures keeps the mind active and making connections with faces and events. It is an enjoyable way to keep photo memories alive.

Photo Books

Choose pictures from throughout the person’s life and design a Photo Book online to print. This offers a more tangible and creative way of looking through pictures all in one book. You may also print names, places, and dates by pictures to help remember the details. It becomes a great coffee table addition.

DVD Slideshows

Make a video slideshow out of pictures to view on a TV. With this option you can add music that the person loves the most to mix with the pictures. The combination of pictures and music from the time can really evoke memory and emotion and is more enjoyable than most programs there are to watch on TV.

Home Movies

If you have 8mm reel films or videotapes with camcorder footage, transfer to DVD for easy viewing on TV. Gather the family around and take a trip down memory lane. The person suffering from memory loss will enjoy hearing everyone laugh and tell stories while the video plays.