LifeSongs

A multi-sensory scrapbook with a purpose. A tool for Alzheimer's care.

Suzanne Lyon, a former memory care director, has worked with people that struggle with all levels of dementia. Using music as a catalyst for memory is a fairly new focus in dementia care. Recent research has shown that meaningful music has a magical quality in its ability to trigger memories locked in the brain. Suzanne has taken this concept and used it to design a recordable scrapbook called LifeSongs.

LifeSongs looks like a 12 inch square scrapbook or photo album, but it has a recordable strip that allows you to customize the photo collages with music that has meaning for a particular individual. You can record a song (prayer, poem, rhyme, etc.) for each of the 12 pages. It then becomes a valuable tool to use while reminiscing, unlocking memories that help a person remember joyous moments from their past.

Lifesongs books can be taken to eldercare or used in a care facility to help staff learn the life story of the people they care for resulting in person-centered care. Caregivers use the book to calm an agitated and confused individual. It can help remind them who they are, putting the “me” back in memory. Family and friends can also enjoy reminiscing by using Lifesongs to spark conversation. The book can actually provide sensory cues that act as guideposts and, as Tom and Karen Brenner (who are Montessori gerontologists) would say, “they are so helpful in priming the pump of memory.” Memories can be celebrated even though memory is failing.