Do I keep photos on a digital picture frame if the dementia viewer does not recognize them any longer?

According to St. John's Dementia Specialist Mimi Devinney: "Some people really enjoy watching those frames. I’ve been told to move out of the way because I was blocking the view, and once someone said to me, “Look, you’re coming soon!” because she’d watched so often she knew what was coming next! If your loved one enjoys watching, then I would leave it alone. Maybe you can have a regular photo album with labeled pictures of the family members nearby, so people can help identify the people in the frame. You can switch up the pictures from time to time, and see how she responds. She might recognize older pictures better, of her own parents or childhood. You can even add pictures of things she likes: favorite flowers, birds, or places. Sometimes it’s nicer to look at pictures than to try to follow the plot of a TV show." For more resources about helping to promote engagement for a loved one with dementia, go to https://dementia.stjohnsliving.org/

Try putting ones of her mom, her dad, her cousins, her grandma, her grandpa etc. from long ago on the frame. Try single pictures, sometimes with a group of people, the faces are too small to recognize each person.

Why wouldn't you let her enjoy looking at them?
I don't understand why you would take them away due to her not recognizing who they are, considering you say "... she enjoys looking at them."

I would say that absolutely DO NOT tell her this is her family - if she doesn't remember. Why bring that up (I am not saying that you are) although some people with 'good intentions' might do that which could frustrate the person with dementia who doesn't remember.

All these situations need to be managed / dealt with individually and with sensitivity / observation. It is not easy to navigate at times. It is trial by error. We learn as we go along.

I sense there is another question in here somewhere and I am not sure what it is. There is something about her not recognizing the family that seems to be triggering you or causing you to question showing them to her. Is this correct?

Would you want to put other photos in there?
She likely would enjoy looking at any others if you feel you want to change them. However, this is your large family - so it connects her to all of you even if she outwardly doesn't recognize that fact / anyone in the photos.

The key here to focus on is that she ENJOYS looking at them.
There is no reason (from what I can understand) why you would take this 'little enjoyment' away from her. Or to put it another way, why would do you want to limit the number of pics? What is your reasoning / objective in doing that?

I am missing something here and I do not know what it is.

My perspective is that she finds ENJOYMENT and that is something major for YOU to be grateful for - she is engaged and that often isn't easy to do with a person inflicted with dementia. Perhaps show her other photos - new photos of the family - or whatever else you want to show her, i.e, gardens, flowers, sunsets, animals (baby animals) - see what she responds to most.

Perhaps you are sad that she doesn't recognize the family.
This is certainly understandable.

And, this is another question or area to focus on - how you feel about her not recognizing the family.

Does it make you sad when she looks at them and not recognize anyone?
Or perhaps the question is:
How do you feel when she views these photos and doesn't recognize anyone?

Personally, I can't imagine how hard / difficult this must be for you to be with your mom and her not recognizing you/the family. It must be heartbreaking.

I am not clear on the question. And the only support I can provide is by asking you more questions.

Gena / Touch Matters

I can answer only in my Moms case and it would be no photo frame. It truly bothered her that these were family members that she could not remember. Dementia patients live in the here and now. Each day is different and she may recall my name or not. When Dad passed away 15 years ago she took all his pictures off the wall and packed the frames away, because she missed him so much, they reminded her of her loss, and that was way before dementia. Seeing photos of people they don't recognize does not help their memory to magically flip on and they will be able to recall the person. They just all looked like a bunch of stranger to her. We did have a small up to date photo album in her room that she could open or not, it had family members, their name and how they were related to her. DO what makes them happy. Photos or no photos, music or not, she didn't watch TV either and in the last year she couldn't use a phone. Do what ever they need done to make them feel safe and loved.

I had pictures everywhere. … many, hung on the walls, of her loved ones. We used a ptouch and labeled them with names and how they were related to her. For example: “Wayne, your brother”. She loved them and did not have to ask or guess who they were. She cherished them.

Slangford: The digital picture frame should remain status quo.

Of course you should leave it on. First nothing is being hurt by doing so, second how do you know if she does not have moments of recognition when you are not there. Don’t robb her of that. Even if simply she enjoys them without knowing why would you even condider taking that away.

Why not? If she enjoys them. You can explain if you want, but don't expect her to remember and don't push for that. Delete any that seem to upset her for any reason.

We had a photo album in my mother‘s room of all her pictures and all the places that her parents had lived in the family farm and her and my dad’s home their belongings and some great memories.

We thought it was wonderful and she did too… for about a week or two. At first, she really really enjoyed it….but then all of a sudden she started to get upset and anxious and was wandering …trying to find her mother (deceased years ago). It was making her anxious and she was having bad dreams.

Her caregivers reached out to me and asked me to remove the albums because it was causing her such anxiety., which we did, and all the symptoms stopped and everything went back to her normal state.

She never asked about them again.

We gave one of these to my MIL some years ago. The kids loaded it up with pictures and I don't think she ever plugged it in and watched it. She was so anxiety ridden, that seeing pics of kids she didn't KNOW was disturbing to her.

I have one and it's not on all the time. Maybe one week of a month and I love looking at the photos and seeing the new ones as they get posted.

If it's not upsetting to your mom, leave it be. Maybe turn it off once in a while, give her a rest.

I probably have over 400 pics on mine and it's delightful to walk in the LR and see who is on the screen.

If she enjoys looking at the pictures, by all means keep it there for her. My mom has one, and in her early stages I put captions on the pictures with the names of the people. She liked looking at the pictures and the captions helped her keep track of who was who. She sometimes talked to the babies, "Hello, Max, you're cute." Lately though, I've laid it facedown. She would watch the pictures, reading all the captions aloud. She no longer remembers the people and I think she found it distressing and would ask if it would stop.

Adding in some pictures from her youth might be nice for her too, as long as it doesn't get her obsessing about all those people and places.

Of course, leave the pictures. I agree with all of you who are saying that!

I wouldn't remove the photos but maybe add some random beautiful nature or other random fun photos. She may get bored with fewer. Consider it the same as staring out a window but with changing scenes. Our frame allows tagging photos which I have begun in case I begin forgetting even if I forget how to read. My concern is to inform the rest of the family why I have them in our frame even if I forget.

If you can change the setting maybe add a little more time between the change. When I became concerned my husband was not seeing properly, our neuro-opthalmalogist said there is nothing physically wrong with his eyes but rather he is having trouble at times "processing" what he sees.

I agree with everyone, as long as she enjoys them then do not be concerned with how or why she enjoys them. I remember reading somewhere (maybe even here) that hobbies and former interests do not need to end with dementia. We don't have to understand how much they comprehend, whether it is simply reading or looking at a collectibles, etc., as long as they seem content and not upset. It was advised not to use our reasoning to make decisions for someone with dementia as long as it is a safe activity for them to continue.

Sure, keep the photos, even if she doesn’t recognize the people. She likes seeing the pictures.

Please keep the photos, they bring pleasure, and who really knows if there are glimmers of recognition. Perhaps she simply knows they are people who make her happy, and that’s enough

If she LOVES it why would it matter WHAT it was filled with? Could be pretty flowers and spanials, right? She loves it. Let her love it. Wish all questions were this easy, and glad this is the worst problem going in this dear lady's world today.