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VISTA MEMORY CARE VISTA GARDENS 1863 Devon Place Vista, CA 92084 (760) 295-3900 www.VistaGardensMemoryCare.com 99 beds AL, ALZ, HOS, RSP, A/NA Lic. #374604198 Please call us for more information and to book your tour today! (Ad on page 33) MAP #25 Vista Gardens Memory Care is a professionally operated assisted living community that specializes in caring for those with forms of dementia including Alzheimer's Disease and mild cognitive impairment, Parkinson's and more. Our pro grams and community are based on the most current research and education in the field of aging. Our mission is to provide quality and compassionate ser - vice through personalized care in an environment that feels like home. Our property is on almost five acres of land and although spacious, is completely secure. Legend on page 6 38 How Important Are Photographs For Someone Living with Dementia Dementia can sometimes have an impact on cognitive ability and result in difficulty recalling memories. Whilst there are many different factors to consider in order to live a happy, healthy and active life with dementia, along with everyday physical needs, mental well being should also be at the forefront of care. Here we will discuss how photographs can provide an excellent basis for reminiscence and help to spark memories in those living with dementia, which can in turn help to improve mood and overall wellbeing. What is Reminiscence Reminiscence is the act of sharing life experiences and stories from the past and can include anything from thinking about a certain time, to openly discussing and talking about it. Those living with dementia can often benefit from reminiscence based activities, as whilst they may find difficulty in recalling recent memories, it is often the case that longer term memories can be triggered. The act of sparking these memories and encouraging conversations surrounding them can be highly beneficial for boosting mood and improving mental wellbeing. Why Photographs There are many different reminiscence based activities which are designed to help spark memories in those living with dementia, but one of the most effective tools is to actively 'show' a memory. The ability to actually see a particular time from the past is unique and ideal for evoking thoughts and memories, which may not be achieved just by conversation alone. By using photographs, you can transport someone back to a particular time, open discussions about the photograph and what it depicts, and help to encourage conversation. Memories from a long time ago may have a lot of emotion associated with them, which is why they remain in our mind the longest. When conducting a reminiscence based activity utilizing photographs, why not select the ones which have positive memories associated with them, such as a wedding, birthday, holiday or celebration. Along with exploring emotions with photographs, they can also be highly useful for recalling a particular point in time, place or person. Whilst it can be difficult to describe these things to someone living with dementia to aid them in memory recall, by providing a still image of the place or person, it can help to take them back and encourage conversations surrounding the image. continued on page 45