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When visiting an elderly loved one in a nursing home, it can be difficult to pinpoint what type of activity will be most valuable and comfortable for them. However, one subject can always bring joy and passion into a person’s life: a valuable trip down memory lane. Knowing strategies for bringing amazing memories back to the forefront of your loved one’s mind becomes key. To ensure your trips are stellar every single time, here are four fun ways to take a trip down memory lane with elderly loved ones.
If you want your loved one to reflect on their life’s achievements, their favourite moments with family and friends, past pets, and other great memories, nothing can help you achieve your goal better than a box cram-full of family photos. Bringing a loose box full of memories, or a beautifully curated photo album is perfect for making that next trip down memory lane one to remember. Maybe you can even bring a camera along with you to make this yet another amazing memory to add to the box!
For technology-savvy elderly loved ones, a digital photo frame can boost their enjoyment of old photos even more. You can curate new streams of memories for them every day, and even teach them to do so themselves. With this new technology and skill, they’ll have the ability to easily become nostalgic and full of happiness with some of their favourite fellow nursing home citizens, again and again, and again. Even if you go the old-fashioned route, you’ll have a fantastic time shifting through nearly endless memories with your loved one in their new nursing home.
The art of storytelling is often underappreciated, but if you can spin poetic about the past, you’ll be well prepared for this choice. Even if you might not be fantastic at telling stories yourself, your elderly loved one is sure to have much, much more practice at telling a vivid, detail-filled story. Trade important stories with them during your visits, and try to come up with memories or stories that they might not know about to make the exchange that much more enlivening for them. After all, older people are often filled with wisdom about life, and they may have something valuable to teach you after hearing about an event or critical happening in your life.
Even if your elderly loved one is not adept at storytelling, they will be sure to love having a friendly, loving ear to transfer their greatest memories to. Keeping up with their day-to-day stories at the nursing home can help you keep them safe, happy, and healthy during their time at the facility as well. Telling stories verbally will help keep their mind sharp, and allow their heart health to benefit as well, so be sure to implement this excellent activity during your next trip to their new nursing home if you can.
Many of your elderly loved ones have lived through some amazing cinematic golden ages, so taking advantage of the many amazing memories they are sure to associate with movie watching is a great idea. Ask them about some of their favourite, life-defining movie-watching experiences during your next visit to their nursing home, and you’ll be well on your way to putting together a great program of classic films to enjoy with them.
The vivid, storytelling-heavy nature of movie watching will ensure you’ve got a great jumping-off point for extra stories about your loved one after the credits roll. With any luck, you’ll add a new favourite to your list of beloved movies as well, so be sure to make this choice a priority if you’re a movie lover.
While movies are the most glamorous art form that is meant to be shared with loved ones, the intimacy that music tends to invoke is hard to beat. Making a playlist that will unlock some of their favourite memories of love, family, friendship, and success will be sure to absolutely make their day.
Once again, you can kick up this step with some extra spice if your elderly loved one is tech-savvy. Hook them up with a music streaming service where they can make their own playlists, and they’ll have a great new way to entertain themselves. Soon, you can even begin sharing playlists with your loved one, bringing new and old classics clashing in an amazing, taste-defining fashion.
With these four activities, you can ensure every trip to see your loved one is a hoot. Not only will this spice up the visits, but it will give your loved one valuable new memories to cherish as they adjust to this next stage in their lives. With the right setup, you can even help them discover valuable new hobbies and technology that will improve their day-to-day lives in an absolutely stellar fashion.
Welcome to Birds and Lilies! I'm Lou: mother, blogger and freelance writer. This is my lifestyle blog, where I talk about motherhood, infertility and IVF, beauty, my love for food and wine, as well as my thoughts about stuff, and our real-life and travel adventures.
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