A Picture Says a Thousand Words Photographs invoke emotion and conjure up memories. One of my favorite quotes is by Sy Parish; And if these pictures have anything important to say to future generations, it's this: I was here. I existed. I was young, I was happy, and someone cared enough about me in this world to take my picture. Most of us have boxes, drawers, and albums filled with photographs we have taken over the years. Photographs symbolize a moment in time that has been forever frozen. My Aunt was diagnoses with Alzheimers many years ago. As the years go by her memory of past events fades. Her daughters have made pocket sized photo albums with pictures and detailed descriptions; for example, This is Sally. She is five years old; her mother is Jane, your youngest daughter. My Aunt looks at these little books every day. Sometimes she remembers who Jane is; other days she has to ask. While visiting my Aunt I noticed that she loves to watch television. It was then that I realized creating a DVD of her life with voice-overs describing each event might help her remember her past. When I returned home I contacted her daughters and asked them to email me photographs and descriptions of each photo asking them; where it took place, when it took place and who is in the photo? I then met with my Aunts sisters, asking them to go through their photographs and gather the ones that might help my Aunt remember. Once I had received all of the photographs I scanned them and placed them in a slideshow program. Each frame of the DVD describes the time, event and people in the photograph. It is important to include background music that is specific to the their era, in my Aunts case it was; Glen Miller, Nat King Cole, and Frank Sinatra. My mother and her sisters have been wonderful in writing down memories of their childhood. Silly events that happened when they were young girls, events that we hope will spark memories in my Aunt. Using a voice-over, the "memory" is told then the photograph appears for 30-40 seconds, giving ample time for individual to reminisce about the photograph and event. Alzheimer DVDs are a family affair. It is important to receive input from as many people as possible that are close to the person with Alzheimers. If someone is in the early stages of Alzheimers it is wonderful to interview them, asking them their favorite childhood memories, school memories, their marriage, children and grandchildren. What are their hobbies? Where did they like to vacation? What are they most passionate about? What are their favorite songs? There are so many good times in life; sharing them on a DVD is a way to preserve the memories. |
