When a family member is affected by Alzheimer’s disease, it can be devastating for everyone. Did you know that genealogy and family history stories can be very comforting to those who are becoming more and more confused as their memory deteriorates? When a family member shares a family story or looks through old photographs with a person who is affected by Alzheimer’s, they often recognize that what they are hearing or seeing is familiar. Interestingly enough, when someone is affected by Alzheimer’s disease, memories that were formed most recently are lost first and those formed long ago last the longest. They may experience an episode of remembering things that they had not been able to remember for a long time, and they may surprise you by remembering details that you had never heard before.
It is important to be careful as well as gentle and patient when sharing family memories with someone affected by Alzheimer’s disease. You may end up doing most of the story telling, from research that you have done or family stories that you have preserved. If they begin to feel like they are being interviewed, they may become anxious and stressed. Also, breaking in to correct them if they are telling a story incorrectly can cause upset or stress. Share freely and instead of asking lots of questions about who is in which picture, keep the commentary more general.
Hearing familiar stories about people that they know and love can help Alzheimer’s patients to feel safe and secure amidst the confusion and turmoil of what can be a very long, slow decline of their memory. As your relative experiences moments of calm and peace, you, too might feel more at ease because for that period of time that you are together sharing pictures and stories you may see glimpses of the person that you remember them to be.
Photo by bandini on morguefile.com.