Hi, my Grandfather has just been diagnosed with Alzheimers and Vascular dementia, fairly advanced. Due to other commitiments I have not seen much of him recently, so have a lot of news I would like to share with him, mainly my new job/career. I would really like him to understand what I do, and to know that i am thinking of him, so I had an idea. I thought of making a book of photos showing my journey to work, my workplace and colleagues, and what i do there. In this way he could keep it with him at home and look at it whenever he wanted to , and know what I was doing then, and also know that I had made it for him to show that I am thinking of him even though I do not see him often. Does anyone have any feedback on this idea? have you found it useful, or done something similar? I would really like any advice you can offer. Thank for reading this.
photobook
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If your grandfather's dementia is fairly advanced, the photos may not trigger anything for him. It might be better for you to make up a photo album of old pictures of you - you can always include some new ones. So when you visit, you can explain the new ones re: your job etc.
My mother has a couple of photo albums but as her disease is quite advanced, she doesn't bother with them anymore. I don't even know if she can recognize herself.
My mother has a couple of photo albums but as her disease is quite advanced, she doesn't bother with them anymore. I don't even know if she can recognize herself.
Hi Doll
I did this when my Mum went into a home - I started it off with her childhood (only a couple of photos available, then her & dad when they were young, progressing through the birth of all 5 of us. Then I did sections of the five of us and our own families so that she had photos of the grandchildren when they were babies, going through till they were teenagers. I put photos of her friends, bowling teams, and holidays. It took me a while to do.
She looked at it a couple of times and then it was stuck in her drawer!!
I sometimes drag it out and it is something to talk about, but at the end she just says 'Why don't you take that home with you?'
But as I say, it is something to talk about although sadly she doesn't recognize anyone in it.
Libs
I did this when my Mum went into a home - I started it off with her childhood (only a couple of photos available, then her & dad when they were young, progressing through the birth of all 5 of us. Then I did sections of the five of us and our own families so that she had photos of the grandchildren when they were babies, going through till they were teenagers. I put photos of her friends, bowling teams, and holidays. It took me a while to do.
She looked at it a couple of times and then it was stuck in her drawer!!
I sometimes drag it out and it is something to talk about, but at the end she just says 'Why don't you take that home with you?'
But as I say, it is something to talk about although sadly she doesn't recognize anyone in it.
Libs
... if you can't remember who the pictures are images of, then they simply serve as a reminder of your failing memory. No wonder they are ignored.
I know that sounds bad because we are all trying our best for them, and we want to do so much more.
When my wife lost the ability to write her own name, quite early on in her dementia, I tried to sit with her to practice and practice and practice some more in the hope that she could re-learn it. Of course that didn't work, neither does the exhortation to "use it or lose it", once dementia has started.
But do put the albums together anyway because you will value them yourself in times to come, and this provides you with a reason to make the album from her point of view.
I produced hordes of posters for my wife's bedroom wall, but I was the only one of the two of us to know what they were, though the staff at the home, and relatives of other residents have appreciated them.
Thanks for the replies. At the moment he can remember who we are etc., but forgets things we have said very quickly, within a few mins. That is why I thought a book would be good. I will do it anyway, if only to make myself feel useful, and I have asked my brother to do some for his new job too. The idea is to put it in a folder that we can add chapters to as and when they become relevant, so we can always add older pictures later when the new ones don't mean anything to him any more.
If it makes you feel better and useful, excellent. And as your grandfather is not so advanced, then it will probably be a very good thing.
One thing I did early on was have a guestbook & ask all the visitors to sign. I would write in what we did also (watch the rain, go for a walk). There aren't many pages filled in because she soon lost interest but I'm glad we have the book.
One thing I did early on was have a guestbook & ask all the visitors to sign. I would write in what we did also (watch the rain, go for a walk). There aren't many pages filled in because she soon lost interest but I'm glad we have the book.
I love taking photo ,also every time when you can and you do visit your granddad take a photo together, photo capture a moment in time that can be so easily forgotten by all of us. Also if sadness, sorrow hit us, like me to take my mind of things I tidy up and end up finding the box full of old photo that I had forgotten about , bring back memories of joy full happy time I had in the past reminding me, to get that camera out again to capture more happy moments that are going to happen in the future .
I am spending a lot of time looking at my photos of my mother taken in her last months, and especially "movies" which I took partly as evidence (like the logbook) for those who didn't believe us (not that they were interested, of course).
The only photo she wanted in the room where she slept was one of her own parents, taken about 50 years ago.
She also liked looking at pictures of animals on the farm where she'd lived as a child.
She was delighted to receive a photo some friends of hers sent of their daughter and grandchild, but didn't remember their names and thought the girl in the photo was someone she'd known long before. Never mind, she still enjoyed the picture.
You never know, do you, what will be enjoyed and what will be rejected. Just ... go on trying.
Lila
The only photo she wanted in the room where she slept was one of her own parents, taken about 50 years ago.
She also liked looking at pictures of animals on the farm where she'd lived as a child.
She was delighted to receive a photo some friends of hers sent of their daughter and grandchild, but didn't remember their names and thought the girl in the photo was someone she'd known long before. Never mind, she still enjoyed the picture.
You never know, do you, what will be enjoyed and what will be rejected. Just ... go on trying.
Lila
sunday 09.30 8 july 2006
doll said:Hi, my Grandfather has just been diagnosed with Alzheimers and Vascular dementia, fairly advanced. Due to other commitiments I have not seen much of him recently, so have a lot of news I would like to share with him, mainly my new job/career. I would really like him to understand what I do, and to know that i am thinking of him, so I had an idea. I thought of making a book of photos showing my journey to work, my workplace and colleagues, and what i do there. In this way he could keep it with him at home and look at it whenever he wanted to , and know what I was doing then, and also know that I had made it for him to show that I am thinking of him even though I do not see him often. Does anyone have any feedback on this idea? have you found it useful, or done something similar? I would really like any advice you can offer. Thank for reading this.[ My answer. Improve your story to us so that we can better contribute. What I mean is;- Is your grandfather mobile?
Perhaps he has poor visions?
How is his hearing?
Is he in a care home - or not?
Do you have a car and drive to work?
Can you take him out for a ride and talk him through the route you take.
Put it all on a casette and gently see how he adjusts to listening to the sound of your voice with ear pieces. (I experiment all the time. Last month I found a youngster to download CAREFULLY SELECTED music preferred by my mother onto a cheap £20 Argos MP3. This month's challenge has been to get a young KEEN carer to take my Mum swimming so she swam 2 widths this week.
Organise for him a cordless phone.
Talk to him, via care staff, once a day, once a week, so that he hears your voice and always begin with the same clear articulation and explanation "Hello granddad. This is your granddaughter, Lulu, speaking to you by phone. I am thinking of you and want you to know that although I am a long way away I am thinking of you and I always check with the care staff before speaking to you to find out if you are well. Is that so? Regarding me, this week at work I did bla, bla and chat for 2 minutes or so. Good luck.
Mag, the original Londoner
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