Time Travel Experiences for Alzheimer’s Households
July 19, 2008 by Mary Emma Allen
Filed under Diseases & Conditions
Since Alzheimer’s patients, at a certain stage of the illness, often live in the past, why not incorporate this family legacy into time travel for the youngsters in your household this summer? Take advantage of the Alzheimer’s member’s memories…record and scrapbook them for your family legacy.
However, youngsters are familiar with time travel books so popular nowadays. Why not do some time travel as you delve into these memories?
- Find places on a map that Grandma tells about.
- Research how she lived when she was a little girl
- See how far back you can follow your family tree
- Find out about those eras and what people did
- Pretend you’re living in those days…and travel back in time for “pretent” adventures
For instance, I discovered one of my ancestors was Uncle William “Buffalo Bill” Mathewson (not Cody) who operated trading posts on the Santa Fe Trail. Why not discover what life was like for him and Aunt Lizzie in the 1860s era?
What can you do this summer to join your Alzheimer’s family member and enjoy memories instead of being frustrated because they live in the past. You’ll also discover more about your family heritage as you enjoy “time travel.”
(Amazon image; click on image for details)
(c)2008 Mary Emma Allen
Sounds like a great way to get involved with your grandparents. My grandpa with Alzheimer’s use to call me Henry even though it is not. So when we would go in public I would also refer to myself as henry. Even after his passing, by siblings will refer to me as Henry.
Thanks for visiting Alzheimer’s Notes and for sharing your story. My family discovered we could enjoy my mom and aunt in their world and learn something about our family heritage as well.