Composing a memento album for an individual suffering from dementia
Memory books serve as valuable tools for people with dementia, helping them remember their past, stimulate long-term memory, preserve their identity, and promote a sense of well-being. Here are some key practices and recommendations for creating an effective memory book.
Personalising the Content
A memory book should be tailored to the individual, featuring personalised photos and life stories that resonate with them. Using familiar faces and captions can help with recognition and trigger memories. Organising the book around important events or phases of the person’s life provides meaningful context and stimulates reminiscing.
Keeping it Simple
A clear and simple layout is essential for a memory book. Avoid clutter and excess text. Use large fonts and high-quality images to make it easy to browse without confusion. This simplicity ensures that the book remains engaging and easy to use for individuals with dementia.
Involving Family and Caregivers
Collaboration with family and caregivers can help gather stories and meaningful items for the book. Shared use can enhance communication and emotional connection.
Incorporating Sensory Elements
While not a core feature, incorporating sensory elements such as scented pages or textured covers can increase engagement. However, it's important to ensure these elements do not distract from the main content of the book.
Using the Memory Book Regularly
The memory book can support the “Reminisce” principle in dementia care, easing anxiety and reinforcing identity when used regularly or during family visits. It's beneficial to make the book a part of a routine.
Avoiding Overwhelm
Keep notes or captions minimal and relevant. Excessive information can cause confusion. The memory book should be easy to navigate, with a table of contents, titles, and page numbers to help structure the book.
Ensuring Durability
Use sturdy pages and binding so the book withstands frequent use and can be easily held by someone with limited dexterity. A binder or photo album that comfortably fits in a person's lap or on a digital device is a suitable material for the memory book.
These practices align with broader dementia care strategies emphasising empathy, engagement, and connecting with the individual’s reality to reduce distress and promote dignity.
Additional Considerations
- Extra-large photos with good contrast may help the person quickly recognise the people in the images.
- A sensory box could contain items with different materials, textures, and sizes.
- Loved ones may also look for in-home help or organisations, local resources, and federal services and programs offering support and assistance in caring for people with dementia.
- Using only one picture per page and keeping the other page blank can help the person concentrate on the image.
- A cover page with the person's name and photo can help them identify the book.
Benefits of Memory Books
Memory books can have positive effects on the caregiver, including increased motivation to deliver care and interactively communicate, improved mood, reduced burden, and behavior problems. They can also facilitate connections between people sharing and reminiscing memories, and offer opportunities to engage and communicate for people who are unable to use speech.
Creating the Memory Book
A memory book can be made with the help of families and friends to gather important information and photos of the person with dementia. Photos of family members, friends, and pets should be considered for the memory book. Memory books are also known as life memory books, reminiscence books, or orientation books.
It's important to avoid including photos of friends and families who have died, as this may upset them if they do not remember that the people in the pictures are no longer alive. Instead, focus on positive memories and experiences.
Avoid quizzing the person with dementia or finishing their sentences for them. Allow them to share parts of their life story and not argue, correct, or dismiss what they say.
Instead, ask questions to facilitate communication, connection, and sharing. Some example questions may include questions about the person's favourite song, movie, colour, or book, favourite travel destination, favourite food, and more.
Memory books can evoke emotions, answer repetitive questions, promote pride, self-esteem, and validation, distract and refocus a person, provide a sense of security, act as a bridge to the past, orient them to themselves, their families, and friends, and offer opportunities to engage and communicate for people who are unable to use speech.
In summary, a well-crafted memory book for a person with dementia is one that thoughtfully combines personalised photos, simple storytelling, clear labeling, and family involvement to serve as a meaningful memory aid and emotional support tool.
- Personalised photos and life stories in the memory book should resonate with the individual with dementia, featuring familiar faces and captions to aid recognition and memory.
- A clear and simple layout is essential, using large fonts and high-quality images to ensure the memory book remains engaging and easy to use for individuals with dementia.
- Collaboration with family and caregivers can help gather stories and meaningful items for the book, enhancing communication and emotional connection.
- Incorporating sensory elements, such as scented pages or textured covers, can increase engagement, but it's important to ensure these elements do not distract from the main content.
- The memory book should be used regularly or during family visits, as it can support dementia care by easing anxiety and reinforcing identity.
- In the creation of the memory book, avoiding the inclusion of photos of friends and families who have passed away is important to prevent distress. Instead, focus on positive memories and experiences.
