Digital Photo Frames for DM with Dementia

[Icequeen01]

My DM has dementia and DSis and I are trying to think of Xmas presents for her. DM still lives on her own but needs lots of support. She lives next door to me and eats with us every evening so we can ensure she eats well. Because of this me and my family are still very recognisable to her. She still recognises DSis and her partner as she goes to stay with them if we go away but sadly she doesn’t always recognise DSis’s son and his young family, hence DSis has suggested the frame.

I could load the photos of the family for DM (DM doesn’t have Wi-Fi in her house so DSis won’t be able to download photos directly via an app). However, I have my doubts about it as it could just be a sea of faces DM doesn’t recognise which I can imagine could provoke anxiety but I’m worried about upsetting DSis as I know how much it hurts when DM doesn’t recognise her granddaughter.

Does anyone have any experience of a digital photo frame for someone with dementia? I’m worried the constant changing of photos will just upset her but do understand DSis’s reasons.

Not a photoframe per se, but anything gadgetry causes stress/distress in my experience. What is this thing? I don't understand, why is it here? Thst sort of thing on repeat. The stress of that can then spiral in a terrible day. Although it sounds like your mum is not as advanced as mine, I can imagine the changing pictures might illicit problems in a way that printed photographs just don't. Could a photo album be another option? It would be a much more familiar and comforting way to look through photos, plus they could be labelled so she knows who she's looking at.

I’ve considered one for dm but decided in the end that without someone to explain it to her, she would probably find it distracting and tiring or at best ignore it.

I agree about a photo album. Tbh the most helpful one of all might be a photo album of your mum’s own life, but I understand your DSis might want to do one of her family or all your DM’s children and grandchildren.

You can buy photo albums that have space for the photo and a recordable device, so you look at the photo and push the button to listen to the recording - you could get people to record a hello and a reminder who they are, eg ‘Hi Aunty Margaret, it’s me, Julie, your niece from Sheffield and my kids Jeff and Carol. We love you!’ They’re from speech and language suppliers.
https://www.talkingproducts.com/collections/talking-photo-albums-recordable-gifts?srsltid=AfmBOopfPJ5MkQ4keSXRcg1zk5RpmOc4syyIKRDdstIfqL1A1ex61zLD

https://www.snapshot-box.life/?srsltid=AfmBOoqxMruzkk97D4K9YakGewDdl2LiaubQGalLzPc9OhysmC2GyPTk

How about this. It plays audio recodings linked to the photos. I think they are a lovely idea. They do bigger ones as well

I got my mum a digital photo frame and she hated it. But when I made her photo books with really simple text 'CMOTsMum with her daughter CMOT and her son SmallCMOT' to explain it she would sit and look at them

Thanks so much everyone for your helpful comments. You have all basically voiced my fears. @Trallers you helpfully reminded me how we had to remove my DM’s smart meter which her energy provider gave her and we put in her kitchen. She often brought it over to me saying she had found it in her kitchen and didn’t know what it was. I can see the same happening with the digital frame!

The frame with audio looks fab and I am going to send the link to my sister to have a look at. Similarly, the talking photo album looks great so will send details of that too. I had forgotten photo books so that’s another great idea too.

Thank you all so much for your views and suggestions. They are so appreciated.

My mum loved her photo books and looked through them all the time - it’s a lovely thing to do for her.