Memory Aid
I'm new here. I have a wife diagnosed with Alzheimer's and a mentally-handicapped some now diagnosed with rapidly advancing dementia. This is due to his mental disabilities. He is going to a rehab center from the hospital and we want to put something electronic together for him to help with his loneliness, as well as remembering us all as long as possible. A normal tablet would be too difficult for him to use. Does anyone know of something designed for children or the elderly that could be loaded with pictures everyone would send in and then operated simply?
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Amazon has lots of tablets for children : I would suggest browsing there for options.
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Sorry, but I doubt someone with rapidly advancing dementia would be able to use any device. My DH was diagnosed 2 years ago and within a few months could no longer use a cell phone. I doubt that he could use a tablet, even a child's one. Maybe an electronic picture frame that changes pictures and put people's names under them? I found a thread that discusses tablets for dementia patients here: https://www.agingcare.com/questions/teaching-one-with-dementia-how-to-use-a-tablet-181866.htm
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If the rehab center has public Wi-Fi you could install a digital picture frame in the room.
I bought my dad one on his last Christmas. He was utterly unimpressed, but my mom still enjoys it. My niece and I load it remotely with random fun pictures. I have it set to motion detection mode, so it goes to sleep if no one's around it. This is totally passive, so he would have to learn a new technology.
If he enjoys music, a speaker might be pleasant if allowed. Perhaps he could use headphones.
If your goal is recalling his family, in person visits will be best to that end. Some PWD retain recall of their people until the end and others seem hazy on spouses and parents fairly early on. I wonder if laminated photo-cards on a ring would be useful. These are sometimes used for children with autism who are non-verbal. I don't know if labeling is appropriate for your son; even if he learned to read that skill probably came later than in a typically developing student and may not be reliable for him earlier than expected. My dad could decode words but they had little meaning for him towards the end.
HB
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My father loved to sit and watch the digital frame as described above. He thought some of the pictures actually talked to him, but that was ok as he enjoyed it.
No interaction required of the patient. You set the amount of time each picture is in frame. Being able to load it remotely meant that there was always something new to look at.
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Thank you all for your comments and suggestions. They were all very helpful. The digital picture frame seems to be the best idea..
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Commonly Used Abbreviations
DH = Dear Husband
DW= Dear Wife, Darling Wife
LO = Loved One
ES = Early Stage
EO = Early Onset
FTD = Frontotemporal Dementia
VD = Vascular Dementia
MC = Memory Care
AL = Assisted Living
POA = Power of Attorney
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