Thoughtful Healthcare provides highest quality in-home senior care to people who live in Kansas City, Mission Hills, Leawood, Overland Park, Lee’s Summit, North Kansas City, and Johnson County. Our professional caregivers strive to make a difference in our clients’ lives, by engaging with them in meaningful ways. For someone who has Parkinson’s, Alzheimer’s or other forms of dementia, this interaction helps fill the days with joy.
One project that a professional caregiver can help with is creating a memory book with your loved one. Here are steps for this worthwhile craft:
- Buy a blank scrap book or photo album and set up at a table with a glue stick, scissors and colorful pens or a labeler. Have a large box handy where the project can be stored when not being worked on.
- Pull a box of memorabilia from the basement, attic, or closet and engage with the loved one by saying something like, “Look what I found. Let’s put some of these pictures and cards in a book so that you can have them to look at.”
- Try sorting the postcards, photos, ticket stubs or letters in chronological order. Another idea is to try sorting them by subject, such as “Travel,” “Family Time,” “Special Events.”
- If the family would like to Facetime or Skype during this process, it’s a nice way to hear stories that may come up. Playing your loved one’s favorite music in the background can help create a steady mood.
- Watch for signs of overwhelm or fatigue in your loved one. Keep these sessions to about 30 minute intervals.
- Pull out your project a few times a week until a book is finished.
- When relatives come to visit, bring out the memory book. With a person who has dementia, you want to avoid asking, “Do you remember?” Try saying something like, “This looks like a ticket to a baseball game…” Or, “I love these family photos. What a nice time you had.”
Professional caregivers from Thoughtful Health Care can spend time with your elderly loved one in a caring way that brings value to his or her life. Contact us today for more information.
