By Ann Julian, LCSW-R, MSW
Special to Alzheimer's Weekly
Published Week of July 8 - July 14

Who are you?

Self-identity and who a person is in the eyes of those around him is a focal point of the anguish suffered by families struck by Alzheimer’s disease as the victim’s cognitive skills trickle away.

The process is a gradual one, but eventually all that is left are the memories of who that person once was.

Social workers, nursing care directors and recreation therapists in assisted-living facilities often search for ways to ease the anxiety felt by residents when they lose track of where they are and how they got there. 

These professionals have come up with a number of ways to help Alzheimer’s victims, nudging bits of their remaining memories to the surface and helping them remember who they are.

One such method is documented in a poignant article by Ray Weiss, a writer for the Daytona Beach News Journal, who described a project initiated in a local assisted-living facility by supervisor Lisa Fischer.

Transparent “memory boxes” containing photos and short biographies hang outside each resident’s bedroom as a reminder of who that person has been.

Visitors can use these tools to spark self-awareness in their loved ones by referring to the memories documented in the little treasure chest outside the room.  Staff can use the memories within to sooth agitated residents when they become anxious, disoriented or sad.

For the person with Alzheimer’s disease in its moderate to severe stages, the past is truly easier to remember than the present.  Short-term memory is the first to go.

Memories of the distant past are often more meaningful and often provide the person with a sense of identity and self-esteem.  Pleasant memories are more easily remembered than unpleasant ones, fortunately.  This is where the favorite photos and stories become wonderful support tools.

Insecurity, anxiety and fear are the hallmarks of decline in the progression of Alzheimer’s disease.  Reassurance through shared memories of long ago and photos whose exact information may now be gone but whose pleasantness is still felt may be one of the biggest blessings of all.
 
Memory is relative, and everyone touches the elephant in a different place and way.  A “memory box” can help bring the places and pieces closer together for everyone.