Memento Boxes

Seniors at Crowsnest Pass Health Centre can reminisce easier thanks to personalized display cabinets.

Story by Kerry Robins

A walk down memory lane with someone we love adds a bit of sunshine to any day.  

“It’s really nice to provide our seniors with a means to think back on their lives and relive special moments with family” — Becky Rinaldi, Chair of the Crowsnest Pass Health Foundation

But when memory fails, it’s a gift to have loving reminders nearby to spark the imagination and start conversations.  This is exactly why the continuing care area of the Crowsnest Pass Health Centre is installing memory boxes along the hallways, one for each resident’s room. The wall-mounted display cases — about the size of a medicine cabinet — show off items and mementoes that matter to the resident, to bring alive important moments and memories from their lives.

“The boxes are really important for our residents and families because they can help ignite memories and start a wonderful conversation reminiscing,” says Diane Nummi, unit manager of continuing care at the health centre.

Thanks to funding from the Crowsnest Pass Health Foundation, 18 boxes are already installed in the dementia and special care unit, at a cost of $183 apiece.

Nummi says she’s pleased with this special initiative.

Diane Nummi, manager of the continuing care unit at the CP Health Centre, stands beside a memory box outside the room of a long-term resident.