From the earliest I can remember, my mother told me stories about her childhood growing up near the Blue Ridge Mountains of Virginia. I never tired of hearing about her slipping off at an early age to follow her sister and brother to the one-room school or her delight in hiding beneath her grandmother’s dining room table, sneaking tastes of icing from a freshly made cake.

Over the years I videotaped a few of her stories when I could and audio-taped others. However, as dementia began to take control in her late 80s, the stories gradually faded. The good news was that viewing photos from her past could revive some of those fading memories.

I was inspired to build a poster of special photos that could help her remember special people, places, and happy times from her life. This would be no ordinary photo poster. Because my mom’s eyesight was compromised, she needed enlarged photos along with enhanced captions.

I will always be grateful to the graphics designer/printer who used my ideas to create the first poster. I well remember the day when I walked in the door with that poster and the light of her smile as she viewed the photos one by one!

Not long after the poster was built, our mom fell, fracturing her hip. That poster was placed in her hospital room. As she began to feel better, she would talk about the photos, asking questions when she didn’t remember.

For medical personnel the poster served as a reminder that our mother was more than a patient who had dementia; she was someone with a family that loved her, and she had enjoyed an active life. Through the poster her caregivers were able to relate to her more as a whole person.

The poster went with my mom to rehab and eventually skilled nursing care, and it continued to add immeasurably to her relationships with others and the quality of her life.

Our mother Christine, myself, and brother Jim.