Creating Memory Boxes for Memory Care Patients

Memory boxes can be a great tool for assisting memory care patients in keeping their long term memory.  Depending on the size of these boxes, they may contain photos, mementos, and other objects that represent happy memories with family, old friends, hobbies and other interests. 

While these may be provided assisted living facilities, memory boxes made by family members are more personalized and, therefore, more meaningful.  The process of creating the box itself and adding to the collection itself is an activity the entire family can enjoy. 

Here are some tips in creating a personalized memory box for your loved one:

Choosing the box.  Choosing the box is the first and most crucial part of making a memory box.  Size and weight are the primary considerations in choosing a container for your loved one’s precious mementos.  Knowing where your loved one will store the box as well as whether he or she plans to bring it while travelling or not will help you determine the size and weight of the box you need.

In addition, make sure that the box is weatherproof and rodent proof, if your loved one plans to stash it away in the attic or underneath the bed. 

Decorating the box.  Some say it matters while others say it is what’s inside that counts.  But if you’re planning on giving the memory box as a going away gift when he or she moves to an assisted living facility, it may be better to put a little effort in making the box look appealing.  Your senior loved one will surely appreciate the fact that you spent a lot of time working on giving him or her a personalized memory box. 

Deciding what you want to put in the box.  Putting together the collection is the most fun part in making a memory box.  The entire family including the live-in caregiver who has been with your elderly loved one for a long time can contribute to the collection.  Mementos can range from little keepsakes like tickets to a movie to larger items like baseball gloves. 

Bring out the photos. Wedding pictures, old school photos, and even cutout photos from a newspaper are memories frozen in time, so they should be the centerpiece of your memory box.  Arrange them in a photo album, or make a collage out of selected photographs and newspaper clippings.

Sort, reduce, and organize.  Before you put everything in the box, it’s best to take time to weed out certain items that may be too fiddly for an elderly with dexterity problems or may bring out sad memories.

Once you have sorted out your collection, you can start organizing the items by combining like items and placing the large items first in the box.  Installing panels can help you organize the collection easier. 

Whether it’s a gift or memory care aide, memory boxes are a great way to show your elderly loved ones how much you love them and treasure the memories you have with them. 

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Factors to consider when choosing an adult day care program

An adult day care facility or program can be a good temporary solution for a live-in caregiver, who may need a few hours off once in a while.  It may even be part of a permanent set-up, should the caregiver have a full-time work outside home.  Either way, day care facilities or programs for older adults are beneficial for both the caregiver and the care recipient:  a full-time family caregiver is relieved of some of the burden of caring for an elderly loved one while the elderly care recipient is given an opportunity to socialize with his or her peers. 

But the success of this setup will depend on the facility or program you have chosen.

Here are some of the factors you need to consider when choosing a day service for your elderly loved one:

• Purpose – When looking for a day care program or facility for an elderly loved one, you need to consider why you need one in the first place.  Do you have a full-time work which will require you to be away from home 8 hours a day, 5 days a week?  Or are you planning on a few hours to a few days time-off? 
• Your loved one’s needs – Choosing from a wide selection of day programs for an elderly loved one can be daunting, with a wide variety of choices available for you.  But knowing your loved one’s needs and level of care required can help you narrow-down your options to a specific type of day program.  In choosing an ideal day program for your elderly loved one, as yourself the following questions:  (1) does your loved one only require some assistance with daily activities?  Or does he or she need therapy or medical assistance as well?  (2) Is your loved one in need of memory care assistance? 
• Reputation – The number of years in operation, its licenses or certifications, and the staff’s credentials can say a lot about the quality of care the facility can provide.  If that doesn’t convince you, you can ask other residents for feedback regarding their stay in the facility.
• Staff to patient ratio – Ideally, the staff to patient ratio should be, at the very least, 1:7. 
• Activity – This is especially important for seniors who may require memory care.  Activities must go beyond providing opportunities for social interaction, but also boost cognitive functions of participants with memory loss problems.

When looking for a day program for your elderly loved one, it’s best to start early, so you can have enough time to come up with a backup plan should the main plan fail.  The ideal time to hunt for an adult day care facility or program for your loved one is at least a month before your planned time off, or the first day of your work. 

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Tips in choosing a live-in caregiver for your elderly loved one

Hiring a live-in caregiver to assist your elderly loved one in his or her daily routines is a good option if he or she does not want to leave his or her home.  As not everybody likes the idea of leaving their home for a retirement facility no matter how comfortable their amenities my seem, hiring someone who could provide an elderly loved one assistance and care 24 / 7 or during the day may give an adult child peace of mind knowing that their aging parents are well-cared for.

If you wish to hire a caregiver for yourself or an elderly loved one, here are a couple tips in choosing the best one:

1. Assess your or your loved one’s home-care needs.  In order to know what kind of assistance your loved one will require, you need to evaluate your loved one’s needs. Does he or she need help with non-medical personal care such as bathing, going to the toilet or meal preparation?  Once you have assessed your loved one’s needs, you can proceed to writing a job description for your ideal care-giver. 

2. Ask for certifications and qualifications.  If your loved one is suffering from certain conditions like dementia, you need someone who has the appropriate training and experience in the area.  Certifications verifying the training and education a live-in caregiver has received in the area should therefore be required.  In addition, a driver’s license is also an important certification, should the caregiver need to run an errand or bring the patient to the hospital or his or her doctor’s appointment. 

3. Know where to look.  Agencies are not the only places you can look for a qualified caregiver, especially if you have a budget to consider.  Your neighborhood may be a good place to look for a potential caregiver.  If you can’t find one in your neighborhood, someone in your church group may be able to give you a good number of prospects. 

Family members and relatives, too, make caring companions.  But remember that hiring and firing caregivers are business decisions and family members or relatives may not take it lightly, unless you have made this very clear to them.

4. Require a background check.  You are entrusting the welfare of your elderly loved one to someone you barely know.  Hence, it is important for you to know more about your potential caregiver.  A background check may reveal criminal convictions on offenses which could put your loved one’s life at huge risks.   

5.  Request for a personal interview, even when you’re hiring form an agency.  If you must, ask a close friend or family member to help you conduct a personal interview with a potential candidate.  This allows you to observe your elderly loved one’s interaction with a prospect live-in caregiver.

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The decision to move an elderly loved one to an assisted living facility is a tough and emotional one.  Our elderly loved one may find it hard to leave behind the home they have maintained for many years. 

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