Rockville Center, NY – Compassionate Elderly Care: Picture Books
Significant memory loss is not a normal part of the aging process, but for some seniors, cognitive disorders, dementia, and other problems can make remembering even basic things a serious challenge. If your aging parents have difficulty remembering names, seem to struggle coming up with words, or are showing other signs of significant memory problems, making managing this memory loss part of your elderly care plan. It will help your elderly parents exercise their brain, maintain more memories, and stay connected to the world around them.
Many doctors believe that pictures are a powerful way of triggering and strengthening memories in seniors coping with memory loss. Making a homemade picture book is a fun and meaningful way to spend time with your elderly parents while helping them work on their memory loss. Do this project with your aging parents or plan it as a project for them to do with their elderly care provider. If your children are old enough, they may enjoy working on the picture book with their grandparents.
What You’ll Need
• Copies of pictures. Use clear, bold images of things your parents have had difficulty remembering, such as people they see on a regular basis, their pets, objects around the home, and their medications. Either have 5-inch by 7-inch enlargements made of original pictures or print them from your computer onto acid-free paper
• Acid-free scrapbooking pages. These pages feature a plastic overlay you peel up from the page and acid-free paper
• Acid-free pens or a label maker. You want to be able to clearly label each picture so your parents can read them or you can read them to them
• A binder or spiral binding. This lets you hold the pages together and keep them organized
What to Do
• Place each image on a scrapbooking page
• Either write the name of the person or object in the image clearly under the image or use the label maker to make a large label and place it under the image
• Carefully smooth the plastic top layer over the image and press it into place
• Once all pages are complete, punch holes along the left edge and either organize them in the binder or add the spiral binding to hold all of the pages together
• If you want to make the book even more special for your aging loved ones, create a cheerful cover that they will be excited to see each time you take it out
Once your book is finished, keep it in an easy-to-find spot in the home so you can take it out and read it with your parents regularly. Sit with them and go through each page slowly, giving your parents a few moments to see if they recognize the picture, then read them the label and talk a bit about the image. If it is a person, remind your parents who he or she is and what role he or she plays in their life. If it is an object, remind them what it is and how they use it. This is a great opportunity for you to remind them about their medication schedule, when they go to the doctor, or how to use safety or mobility aides throughout the home.
If you or an aging loved one are in need of elderly care services in Rockville Center, NY or the surrounding areas, contact the caring professionals at Star Multi Care Services today at (631)956-8835. We are the Right Choice for Home Health Care Services!
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