Often family photos have been placed in albums or boxes that may or may not be labeled. Your mom or dad may have stowed these family mementos away many years ago. In fact, it’s possible you have never seen many of the relatives and friends of your parent’s past. However, providers of in home care for elderly adults suggest that these photos are a link to their past and may provide information to help enhance your mother or father’s memory today.

Studies show that the aging brain loses short-term memory before long-term.  If your mom or dad is in the early stages of dementia, they may not remember what they had for breakfast today. However, they may surprise you with what they remember as they start scrolling through old photos and creating a collage. Your parent may look at one particular picture and then remember where it was and what happened on the day it was taken. Getting that conversation started is priceless, and aides who provide in home care for elderly adults say it’s rewarding for you to learn family history, too.

Just when you think your parent’s memory is locked away and that you may never connect again, a collage of family pictures can be that one piece of artwork that helps you bond. In home care for elderly providers in Fort Myers, FL, encourage every member of the family to create a collage with mom or dad. This will bring comfort to your parent in life and to you after they are gone.

Take the time to record the stories you mother or father tells you about the people in the pictures, and in the future when you need the comfort of your parent’s voice, you will have it to play back.