5 Ideas for Visiting a Senior with Memory Loss

Visiting a senior who is home bound or in a care facility can present challenges – especially if your loved one has memory loss or dementia.

Here are some ideas to pass the time and make the visit sweeter:

1. Technology is your friend. Download or stream an episode of a favorite TV show and watch it together. Maybe bring along a snack or drink, if appropriate. Many facilities have a guest WiFi – and your laptop or tablet will do. M*A*S*H or I Love Lucy are fun.

2. Interview them about their favorite teenage music. In a subsequent visit, bring a playlist created just for them. Prompt them with questions about music, concerts, dance moves,etc. This same strategy could apply to many interests. A conversation on one visit and something related on another. Bring a library book on movie stars, race cars, airplanes, etc… Try a magazine called Reminisce – full of nostalgic pictures.

3. A leisurely visit a great time to record family history or learn about the past. Ask about a first job or how they met their spouse. Your cell phone video feature is the way to go.

4. Print off photos from your phone or social media and assemble a photo album. Include names or identify the relationship, so staff or other visitors can use the album to talk to your loved one.

5. Remember show & tell? Bring in items or pictures! Grandma would like to see what you bought Sara for her baby shower. Bring along Zach’s soccer trophy and show it to Uncle George. Rent a vacation home? Go online and give a virtual tour of where you will be staying. Find a bargain at the church tag sale? Bring it in!

Have a good visit!

“As you grow older, you will discover you have two hands,

one for helping yourself, the other for helping others.”

Audrey Hepburn