My Photo Album

Time

4 3 2 1 Early Stage

Benefits

What you need

A photo from each person in the group

Intro

Photos are a perfect way to reconnect people living with dementia with their past. This social activity gives everyone the chance to share their life through a snapshot in time. It’s lovely to see photos of loved ones and past events sparking the most interesting of conversations.

It’s a great opportunity for people to tell their stories, to hear what life was like in the past and to get to know one another better.

Top tip

If there is someone in the group that would like to take part, but struggles with communication, have a chat to his or her family and friends to find out about the photo. That way, you can share the memory on their behalf, and they can still engage with the activity and enjoy hearing about their own past.

The Activity

Create a relaxed environment, perhaps with tea and cake, so everyone can enjoy this time reminiscing about their photos
In turns, get each person to pass their chosen photo around and share their memories about the picture. You can encourage discussion by asking, “Who’s in the picture?”, “Where was the photo taken?”, “Where did you live at the time?”, “Who took the picture?” etc.
Allow the conversation to flow, giving people the time and space to share their memories and thoughts
Only move onto the next person once everyone in the group has finished talking