Memory Lane TV

White Crane

I just read about Memory Lane TV. This is TV geared to people with dementia. On their website, they explain how their content is not plot driven and that it is very engaging for those with dementia. There was also a short video by Teepa Snow endorsing it. It says it can easily be installed on a television and the subscription fee that I saw started at only $7.95 a month. I believe it is a streaming service. I am going to show the website to the administrator at my husband's memory care. It would be lovely if the residents could have something engaging to watch and react to.

ImMaggieMae

White Crane, thank you for posting this. Here is their website: https://www.memory-lane.tv/program/how-to-watch

I’ll set it up on our TV today after DH wakes up. It sounds like exactly the type of thing he might enjoy. We stream shows and series every night, that he, I, and my sister who lives here all watch together after dinner. But during the day he watches a lot of Gilligan’s Island and other old series. Over and over again. This sounds like a nice change.

Iris L.

Thanks for posting!

Iris

White Crane

You're welcome! Maggie Mae, please let us know what you think.

ImMaggieMae

Ok, I set it up on our Roku which is what we use to stream on our TV. It was easy to set up and there is a 7 day free trial. If you don’t cancel after the 7 days they start charging you $7.99 per month or $80 something per year. There are a lot of videos of scenery, photos and short topics like animals, travel, nostalgia, etc. There are also music videos with a man or woman playing familiar songs on a guitar and singing along. A few have subtitles for singing along. They’re all smiling and enthusiastic. The run for anywhere from 4 minutes or so to over half an hour. There are also two 24/7 streams, one for the eastern states and one for the western with someone talking, playing music or streaming video subjects. You could tune into one of these and just let it run.

There are also a lot of instructional videos about Alz and dementia for caregivers, some featuring Teepa Snow, on a variety of subjects. These are pretty much like the ones you’d find on the internet.

I thought the interface was a little clunky for going back and from one subject to another. There was a button called “My List” that I couldn’t find any way to add to. My DH watched for a little while, but seemed to get bored with it after a short time. The programs he liked the best were the ones with music and singing. To be fair, he was a bit agitated around the time it was playing and may have been more interested at another time. We’ll watch it for the 7 day free trial and see how it goes. It’s certainly a worthy effort. Thank you for letting us know about it, White Crane.

ImMaggieMae

I should also mention that there are a lot of other videos, such as walking tours of several cities, yoga videos, sports, other health and wellness topics. I haven’t had time to explore these yet. It would certainly be worth looking into.

White Crane

Thank you for the report. I hope it ends up being worthwhile for you. I might try the free time trial here at home before I recommend it to the memory care facility.

Bill_2001

Thank you White Crane.

I try to keep my dear wife (Stage 6) active and engaged whenever I can. However, TV comes in handy for an hour or two a day so that I can get chores done. I will give this a try.

For those that want to try a free channel, "Create TV" (one of the PBS stations available over the air) holds my wife's attention and does not annoy me. It features mostly cooking, painting, quilting, home improvement, and travel shows.

All the best,

Bill_2001

Soul Mate

I live in a Senior Community and we get television via Xfinity. With our Xfinity setup we can also access YouTube on our big screen TV. (My son in the next town over is also able to do this, so it can't just be our facility).

YouTube has tons of offerings for whatever stage your loved one is in. We started out watching shows with simple plots like Dick Van *$%& and Cheers. We watched hours and hours of Johnny Carson reruns. We also watched nature shows and travel shows, We skied down mountains, cruised down rivers, and flew (via drones) over numerous locations around the world. We listened to Christmas carols in front of a crackling fireplace and watched New Year's eve fireworks from all over the world. We attended jazz sessions and classical music performances. We watched babies and animals. We sat at the beach and watched the waves and the sunset. And so much more.

Best of all were all the many, many Teepa Snow sessions - all free. Everything from how to know what stage your loved one is to bathing and feeding tips. Tam Cummins also has some offerings.

My husband had a recumbent indoor bicycle and during the middle stages I would dial up You Tube bike trails on the iPad and he would " bike" all over the world.

Now we are in stage 8 and I still spend my nights watching YouTube videos on my large screen tv but now the content is different. At first there was a lot about surviving widowhood. And now it's about catching up with the world especially right now learning about my iPhone and all the hundreds of wondrous things it can do.

Soul Mate

Soul Mate

Soul Mate

I have xfinity tv with internet at my senior place I can bring up youtube on my big screen TV. My son can do the same so I don’t think it’s just the setup at this facility.

Any way once I get to Youtube there are dozens of options for someone with dementia – all for FREE. In the early stages we watched old shows with simple plots (Dick Van *$%&, Cheers). We watched tons of Johnny Carson reruns. We traveled the world, seeing spectacular sights, especially from a drone’s point of view. We went to symphonies and jazz concerts. We sat on the beach and watched the sunset – even jumped out of an airplane. We sat in front of a roaring fire and listened to Christmas carols. We laughed at baby videos and watched New Years eve fireworks from all over the world. I also tuned into Youtube biking videos and my husband biked all over the world on his stationary recumbent bike. Best of all was a good many videos from Teepa Snow. Again all for no extra charge and on the big screen.

Now at stage 8 I still watch YouTube on the big screen. First it was videos on managing widowhood. Lately it’s been learning all the wonderous things my Iphone can do.

ImMaggieMae

We decided not to continue when the free trial was over. Some of the content was good, but my DH mostly ignored it.

White Crane

Thanks for the update. I’m sorry it didn’t work out but I’m glad you tried it.