Becoming an archivist

There is a popular belief that it is important to address clutter reduction and aspire to minimalism. For someone with memory loss, this can be very disorienting. Visual cues in the form of trinkets, souvenirs, clippings, and the like can serve as anchors to our past and tell us a story about who we are. We must not discount the power of a little visual clutter for someone who keeps deep sentimental value in retaining these objects. There is a balance that needs to be achieved between hoarding and minimalism so that individuals who rely on these items for recall do not lose parts of their identity in the purging process.

As family members downsize, we want to retain dignity while we sort and purge. We should be mindful as we assist elderly relatives. They have accumulated items all their lives for many reasons. One of the toughest areas to address is the accumulation of paper items. This area can be overwhelming and neglected. It is important not to unilaterally decide that these items should be tossed. It is very common for individuals who have experienced childhood trauma to have issues recalling large parts of their past. It can be protective to have this mental block when the events are much too overwhelming.

Tips for archiving your memories:

1. Keep items with value: Keep the items that tell your story. Don't let others decide what that story is. If you know that the item tells your story through the addition of nuance and character, keep it.

2. Scrap-book: Instead of keeping a whole newspaper, place the clipping in a scrap-book. Want to remember a trip you took? A ticket stub could help jog the memory instead of retaining an entire log of your itinerary.

3. Display case: Consider a display case to enshrine your memories. What are they doing stuffed in a drawer? If they are staying in the drawer and you do not want them displayed, maybe downsize the scale of what you have kept.

4. Filing cabinet: Receipts of important purchases, routine maintenance on vehicles and home, important financial transactions, and important expenditures should be retained, but also maintained. If you keep physical copies, review the pertinence of the information. Closed accounts may need one statement to recall having, instead of a pile of statements. Consider scanning these documents, especially if they relate to current financial and legal affairs.

5. Creating a log: When we retain items, we sometimes forget why we have done so. If you notice something important about a physical document, log its pertinence. This may help you start a project you didn't realize was your calling.

6. Genealogy: Consider using archive services in your area or on archiving websites, like Ancestry. The mundane items of the past can serve as a vital record of how lives were lived.

7. Photo albums: Going through photo albums is a lovely experience. You may decide to remove duplicates, photos of individuals that are no longer part of your lives, and those photos that hold little historic or sentimental value.

8. Forensic evidence: One can go through trauma and not fully understand it at the time. It may take years to fully comprehend what happened. Someone who has gone through trauma must retain the opportunity to explore the timeline, related events and activities, the impact, and the long-lasting effects of this trauma. It is not pleasant to have to retain, but it is vital not to dismiss this evidence as too traumatizing to keep. The paper that they retain could become more important as more information surfaces over time. The truth has a way of resurfacing.

9. Move through the emotions: Items we find as we sort may trigger our emotions, flood us with long-lost memories, and remind us of childhood wounds. As we go through these items, one must pay attention to the message our emotions are telling us. There is nothing wrong with the emotion itself. We can decide how to address it. Take your time to process the item that triggered you. Determine if it deserves further exploration. Processing our emotions allows us to move forward. The past can stir up a great deal and may require further support from other family, friends, or therapeutic supports.

One of the saddest things I witness happening after someone moves into a retirement home is the loss of personal items. I have come into rooms of clients who have nothing of personal sentimental value. Sometimes I learn that everything is already liquidated. An individual who has experienced memory loss through a disease like Dementia still has emotions. Personal items can elicit these emotions, even with sensory loss. Retain the dignity of your loved one despite these changes by memorializing their lives as they transition to assisted living and new environments. We cannot expect symptoms to improve by removing environmental cues that orient our loved ones.

I encourage you to spend time with family to become an archivist in your own lives. This has an important impact on how we move about our lives, as we can solidify our identity through these exercises. Memories are retained and made stronger with practice, so if we care about retaining them, use them!