I wanted to share something with you that my family made for my mom~ it is a "Memory Jar". I have photos attached for you. My mom was diagnosed with Alzheimer's about 5 years ago. Right now, it is only her short term memory that is affected. She can still rmember most everything from the past. We wanted to be sure that some of our favorite memories with her were never forgotten so we wrote them all down & put them in a jar for her. My sister got a jar with a "G" on the front....the "G" stands for Gigi, which is what my mom's 7 granddaughters call her. Along with the 7 girls, my sister and her husband, my brother & his wife, and myself & my husband wrote down all of our favorite memories. There are at least 100 memories in the jar and they are added to whenever people are in town.
My mom will sit for hours and read through the tiny slips of paper on which we all wrote our favorite memories of times spent with her. My mom is currently rehabilitating in a nursing home. A few weeks ago I brought her memory jar in so that we could look through them and help pass the long days. We had so much fun! The smiles & laughs from my mom that day are now a memory that I will always have! My mom was bedridden for a few weeks and during that time the wonderful activities director at her nursng home, Diane, came in and sat with her reading through the memories. Diane said that it gave her great insight in to my mom's life and how very much she was loved by her family.
The "Memory Jar" makes a wonderful gift for anyone, especially those affected by dimentia and Alzheimers. Reading the little slips of paper and reminiscing together is not only therapeutic for the person the memory jar belongs to, but comforting for the ones that share in the joy of listening to her read them.
Take care
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