As this caregiver thing is still very new to me I have lots of questions so please forgive me! You all have been wonderful!
Gearing up for a trip to California to visit my Aunt in her new assisted living home. In an effort to make her feel more at home and hopefully lessen the number of phone calls she is making to anyone she can call to give her a ride home, I have been pouring through family photos.
Any thoughts on slideshow picture frame vs an actual album?
Slideshow was recommended to me, but I am not sure my Aunt could figure out how to use it since I have seen her try to use the cordless phone to try and change the TV channel.
Input from ya'll is most appreciated!
There are several motion activated slideshow boxes with a timer, so the show activates on motion and runs for a set amount of time. I have one of these loaded up for my mother with nature scenes and wildlife. She doesn't watch TV much anymore but will watch the "show" for a couple of hours at a time. I have two SD cards I use to store the images, load more/different photos and then swap the card.
Albums are good too, although don't make them too heavy. Several small albums are better than one large album. I would also recommend using photo copies and not originals. If your photos are digital, photo print services offer digital albums for reasonable prices too. You select the photos and the sort order, add labels, then print them.
Genealogy is a hobby of mine. As my mothers short term memory has declined while her long term memory remains, she sometimes has problems matching people who visit with people she remembers. I have printed Family Data Sheets (couple and their children) with photos of the younger and older adult which my mother fines useful. She likes to take a family sheet and tell us stories about everyone in the family, so it's been a good conversation starter too. I also have a printed tree on the wall of her room with all her descendants. I update the photos of the great-grandchildren every year and this holiday season she was able to call by name some great-grandchildren she hadn't seen in a several months.
Nice, clear labelling will help, too.
I wouldn't get your hopes up too much about this cutting back the phone calls.