Family & Photographs: Comfort & Connection

We live in a world of 24/7 images and information, a nonstop barrage of tweets, postings, emails and digital photos. These electronic images have barely a second to imprint on our brains before they are lost, unless saved on a computer or cell phone. And without notes, these images become miscellaneous captives, using space on our devices but rarely remembered for their importance.

Creating a home environment in a new space means keeping mementos older people enjoy looking back on and reminiscing. Few things enhance a senior’s Mayberry Gardens residence better than photographs, scrapbooks, and journals. These items, handled with more care than crystal and placed as professionally as any artwork, turn a living space into a home.

The photos and personal objects offer residents an opportunity to connect with their new neighbors, establish friendships and discover shared interests, hobbies and life experiences. These connections provide social interaction, contributing to better mental and physical health. 

For seniors with degenerative memory disorders, the pictures, movie ticket stubs, shells, love letters, and drawings represent a way to touch the past, and their loved ones know not all of the past is lost and forgotten. A slice of rock crystal in a scrapbook provokes a story of a long-ago trip to a museum with the children. A photo of a family picnic recalls a day spent at the beach house, singing, roasting marshmallows and sleeping under the stars. These are stories no doctor or medicine will evoke from diminished capacity.

These treasures provide a sense of the familiar and a reminder of small moments, good times and exciting places.