Authors:
By Laura Herman, Dementia and Eldercare Professional
Like a growing number of families and care facilities, you may have heard about Memory Lane TV. The carefully curated content on Memory Lane TV is optimized for people living with dementia.
The robust selection of plot-free programming includes:
- Guided imagery and meditation
- Gentle yoga
- Images of animals and nature
- Snippets of classic films, television shows, cartoons, historical moments, and other programming designed to promote therapeutic reminiscence
- A trivia channel featuring rich, engaging audio-visual material
- A channel focused on food options that can stimulate appetite and interest in eating
- Virtual tours through cities and naturescapes around the world
- A variety of music, including karaoke sing-along ready options
- Therapeutic soundscapes, shown to influence mood and promote specific states, such as relaxation, alertness, or improved appetite
- Channels that gently cue viewers to the season and time of day, for example, footage of snow softly falling on a December night
Backed by solid scientific research, the multi-sensory stimulation offered on Memory Lane TV has been proven to help elevate mood and reduce stress and anxiety. When paired with specially-selected aromatherapy options, the result is an even fuller sensory-immersion experience with even stronger benefits.
Therapeutic Benefits for All of Us
People with dementia and people without dementia are fundamentally the same. We thrive when our needs are met and struggle when they aren’t. Dementia can slow the brain’s ability to process stimulation and can hamper one’s ability to recognize or communicate their needs. In some cases, it can take conscious effort to comprehend language or details that formerly the brain would have been able to handle subconsciously. This can be exhausting. Essentially, people with dementia have a lot to cope with – along with an impaired ability to cope – which is why they especially can benefit from the easy-to-process, supportive content on Memory Lane TV.
However, people without dementia often have a lot to cope with as well, especially when caring for others.
Who do you care for? An elderly parent? A spouse? Your children? Caregivers come in countless configurations. In fact, many people who take care of others don’t necessarily think of themselves as a “caregiver”. However, if the health, safety, and well-being of another person falls on your shoulders, the outcome can be the same. You can be at risk of sacrificing your own needs to meet theirs. You can be strongly affected by stress symptoms that impact your sleep, mood, and overall health.
The guided meditations, therapeutic soundscapes, natural images, and gentle multi-sensory stimulation featured throughout Memory Lane TV’s programming are proven by study after study to benefit us all, not just those with dementia.
Special Support for Dementia Caregivers
In addition to the stress-relieving content, special support for caregivers of people with dementia include a caregiver channel full of some of the top experts in dementia care, such as Teepa Snow and The DAWN Method. These videos provide life-changing information about how to transform your dementia caregiving experience. When purchased elsewhere, they’re available at a much higher cost than the Memory Lane TV monthly subscription, so this alone makes the subscription a smart investment.
Additionally, Memory Lane TV’s special programming offers opportunities to bond and connect with your loved one, helping you find and create moments of joy, hope, communication, and connection together. On a purely practical level, it also affords many caregivers a badly-needed chance for respite as they make dinner, take time for a phone call, or catch up on other tasks around the house.
Person-Centered Programming
Person-centered programming is at the heart of Memory Lane TV. Currently, the platform supports curated selections of content based on an individual’s interests and life experiences. Complete a simple questionnaire to create a custom watchlist, and then easily adjust it to your liking as needed. It’s perfect for eliciting positive memories and engaging in reminiscence therapy.
However, Alban Maino, creator of Memory TV, has big plans for the future of custom content. Early trials of next-level personalization, including the digitization and inclusion of family photos and videos set to favorite music, have been very promising. At this point, the technology to offer automated personalization at scale is cost-prohibitive – but Maino is used to that. When he started Memory Lane TV in 2008 the situation was similar. Over time, technology caught up to his vision and it soon became more affordable and practical. He’s confident the same will happen with personalized digitalization technology as well.
Memory Lane TV in Every Home
Maino’s vision of the future includes Memory Lane TV in every household and care home free of charge. Maino envisions working with a non-profit or philanthropic person or organization to realize this step.
Much more than a streaming service, Memory Lane TV is literally an intervention, a tool in the dementia-caregiver toolbox, and a method for anyone who’s feeling stressed, anxious, or overwhelmed to feel better.
Learn more and try it for free at https://www.memory-lane.tv.
About the Author:
Laura Herman supports family caregivers to assist their loved ones with dementia, minimize problems, and feel fulfilled in their caregiving journey. Learn more and connect with her through her website and learn more about how to Appreciate Behavioral Communication in Dementia at her blog ABC Dementia.