Jolene Brackey
Enhanced Moments
P.O. Box 326
Polson, Montana 59860
407-883-3770 phone/fax
jolene@enhancedmoments.com
Although a person with Alzheimer's may lose their short term memory, often they will retain their long term memory to detail if we learn how to trigger it. One of my favorites ways to do this was to find an old suitcase and fill it with a variety of items. Examples: a silky scarf, an old distinct suit jacket (the bigger the better), a colorful tie, a book, reading glasses, an old family photo, a camera, a beautiful dress, dress shoes, baby photographs, suspenders etc. Include things a person might put in his/her suitcase when going away for a weekend. Bring the suitcase to the person or persons and say excitedly, "Look what I have! I found this suitcase in the attic. It looks old. I wonder what could be inside. Let's open it and find out." Place the suitcase on the floor and carefully open it. Pulling out the silky scarf you might say, "Isn't this a lovely scarf?" then wrap it around your neck and ask, "What do you think? Is it me?" Watch for responses, especially facial expressions, to see what they think. Ask, "Who would like to wear this scarf?" If someone is interested , place the scarf around his/her neck. This is a wonderful way to trigger complete reactions because they are able to touch, feel, smell the scarf. The more you stimulate their five senses the more likely you will trigger memories for them The next item you pull out might be the suit jacket. Make the suggestion that you think this jacket would especially good on one person. Then ask him/her to try it on. Respect their decision if they act like they don't want to participate. Encourage the senior to model the jacket while you make positive, sincere comments. As everyone is checking out the jacket, rummage through the suitcase for the tie. "Hey, look what I found! Do you think this would look good with the jacket? May I try it on you?" You will have more reactions when you directly ask simple questions. The best questions to ask are those that can be answered with a simple "yes" or "no". "Yes" and "no" are words most people with Alzheimer's can say even in the later stages of the disease. "Let's see what else is in here." If a participant like a particular item, ask him/her to hold it or possible keep it as you look through the suitcase again. The next item you might share is the book. Choosing a book they may have enjoyed reading when they were younger will enhance the enjoyment of this part of the activity. Consider a book of poetry or nursery rhymes or possibly children's bible stories. Nonchalantly open the book and read a little of it. Talk about the stories as you read them. If someone is especially interested in the book, hand it to that person and encourage him/her to keep it to enjoy. I especially like to use nursery rhyme books with pictures. Sometimes I play this simple game: Read a rhyme and leave off the last word. This gives the members of the group an opportunity to finish the rhyme. Even if it is just the last word of a nursery rhyme, remembering things gives a wonderful feeling of success. This is another fun way to trigger memories because holding and seeing the book while hearing the words is multisensory. Again, the more of their senses you can engage, the more memories you will trigger. Next, find the family photo. Depending on the photo you use, say something like this: "Look at this little boy. He has beautiful blond hair. I wonder what color his eyes are? Do you think he has blue eyes? The father looks very distinguished, don't you think? I like the mom's hair? Did your mother have hair like this?" (Notice again how the person just needs to respond with "yes" or "no.") Asking questions will focus their attention and keeps the person more involved. Depending on the functioning level, you may want to ask the person about their own family: how many children they have, what their spouses look(ed) like, what they remember about their own dads or brothers and sisters. What questions you ask will depend upon the persons' abilities and who they usually talk about or remember. If you're lucky, you will trigger lost memories from long ago. Now is the perfect time to pull out the camera and make the suggestion of taking real or imaginary photographs of the two of you (or group) to keep forever. Just a reminder that people with Alzheimer's will not recognize themselves in the photograph if you show it to them later on. More importantly, just tell them how much you like their company and that you treasure the time you have with him/her. Close the discussion with something like: "I love spending time with you, and good friends need to have keepsakes of each other." When you finish looking through the suitcase, collect the items and ask the participants to help you repack (if they are able). Reassure them that you are going to put the suitcase back in the attic where you found it. In their generation and ours we respect other people's things. Even though you found this stuff in your own closet or at a thrift store, you should handle it with respect (since you did find it in the attic, remember). If you don't have a suitcase you can also use a cardboard box. For me, this activity has proven successful with individuals or small groups. The person(s) may have little response to certain items while other things may motivate him/her to say short words or mumble. This is a good indication that a particular item is triggering memories. Make notes of the objects that jogged each participant's memory. You might even remove the items that had less response and try to include other things that will create different emotions for another session. The more action and genuine tone of voice you use, the greater the response you will get from each person. Savor the moment and remember: in small and simple things, human beings can discover great, hidden treasures.