Photographic memory slow to fade

The memories book provides a focus for Mary Morgan and her daughter

Mary Morgan and her daughter are determined to cling on to the past.

The 84-year-old has Alzheimer's, a form of dementia that is slowly stripping away her memories.

When her daughter Ann Urquhart visited Mary in the Edinburgh care home where she lives, it was becoming increasingly difficult to make conversation.

But that changed when they sat down together to record the past, in the form of a photobook.

A box of old photographs provided the raw material. Every Monday Mary and Ann would sit together at a computer, uploading images to the Caring Memories website.

Mary would explain what was happening in the pictures. Ann or volunteer helpers would type in the captions.

When it was complete, they received an album recounting the key moments of Mary's life. It has transformed their relationship.

You can't say 'what have you done today?' because they don't remember what they've done today Ann Urquhart

"Since we've put the book together with all these special photographs, each time we bring the book out, it triggers off all the old memories," explained Ann.

"These are the ones that are clearer to Mum rather than what's just happened. She doesn't remember what's just happened, but she remembers everything from the past like it's just happened."

The books normally cost £40, but the Scottish Government in association with the University of Stirling's Dementia Services Development Centre have funded 1,000 free books for people in Scotland with memory problems.

Once the "Caring Memories Life Book" is complete, subscribers are sent out weekly activity plans, designed to jog the recollections.

Family holidays

Faces from the past stare out from pages... Mary's father with his young granddaughter, feeding his pigeons, friends fooling about on a trip to Blackpool, holidays in Aviemore, a cake baked for Mary's retirement from her job at Ninewells Hospital.

Ann believes the book has also helped improve her mother's relationship with her carers who now know much more about Mary.

"There's a wee poem in the book and she remembers one of the lines from this poem because we've looked at the book so much lately," said Ann.

"It's triggering things off. The picture of the van of the firm my grandad used to work with. Mum mentioned that the other day."

The book can also be viewed online, allowing Mary's grandchildren who live in the south of England to share her memories.

Ann added: ""When you open up this book of memories it just lifts the spirits. It's an amazing transformation.

"It spurs a conversation. We can sit and chat about it all the time whereas normally you come and down and you think what can we talk about. You can't say 'what have you done today?' because they don't remember what they've done today."