Another Way to Save Alzheimer’s Caregiver Memories

Today I was catelogued the Christmas letters I’d written over the years to send to family and friends.  I enjoy receiving them and sending them.  So I’ve kept mine and other family members’ letters and cards.

At a family history writing workshop, a student remarked that she found putting copies of the Christmas letters into scrapbooks was a great way to begin compiling family memories. 

“What a great idea!” I thought. 

So I began putting copies of my letters into a folder, instead of having them saved here and there.  This morning, I began putting them into acid free sleeves in a three ring binder.

As I read the letters I’d found, I discovered a record of my mom’s Alzheimer’s years…not all the little details, but the dates or months when I moved her to my home, when I used a nursing home for daycare, when the grandchildren visited her for tea parties.  Some letters were more detailed than others.  But it gave me a skeleton outline without my having to wade through other records for this information.

I also read about other family events occurring during those years…the joys and sadness…the births and deaths…the trips we took.  This is another way to save family memories, in addition to the information you might put into journals, scrapbooks, and diaries.  I’ve also left space to add photos, if I decide to include them.