Responding to the growing interest and need to enhance or add memory care programs to your offerings, here are three tips to consider. 

Senior living communities, assisted living, health care centers, nursing homes, adult day programs, respite programs, home care, hospice, and other organizations have a growing interest and need to enhance or add memory care programs to their offerings. Here are three tips to consider for your memory care program...

1) Enhance memory care with reminiscence programming. Be sure each person has a chance to touch all their senses and reminisce about riding a bike, a first job, or a wedding day.  You'll be surprised at how many of the "way back" details they will remember.  Family and volunteers like a focus for their visits and some way to help. They can help with recording one-on-one with the LifeBio Memory app OR another simple way is to just shoot the breeze with the "What's Your Story?" cards. You could even compile people's answers in a newsletter or on a bulletin board. 

2. RECORD the life story. Reminiscence works to promote interesting conversations but RECORDING the life stories is crucial too--especially for someone with memory loss.  A person will express the story and specific care preferences IN THEIR OWN VOICE. This is like gold in the pursuit to deliver quality service and care in the short term and in the long run. The details of family relationships from the person's youth, childhood memories, young adulthood, historical events,  love, marriage, children, grandchildren, pets, life lessons, values, and more are all part of this rich story. For example, it would make more sense if staff members knew that Betty's beloved horse from her childhood was named "Slippers" when someone mentions slippers (on someone's feet). 

3. SEE the connection between reminiscence and wellness. Reminiscence does touch all dimensions of wellness so working on life stories will help people feel more purposeful and useful, while meeting their physical, emotional, social, intellectual, and vocational needs. When many things are out of control, one thing that many people with dementia can do is express their life stories (especially from their earliest childhood). Most people enjoy reminiscing about their own experiences, and it leads to validation of a life well lived. The goal is to help people with dementia experience more love, more hope, and more peace--that can be accomplished through focusing on the person's life more than ever before.

Please contact LifeBio at 937-303-4576 or email info@lifebio.com to learn more about LifeBio's memory care solutions.