Improving Patient Care One Story at a Time with Memory Well

When your loved one with memory issues is unable advocate for themselves and you can’t always be there with them, you may feel overwhelmed. But an innovative company, Memory Well, is creating new opportunities for patients and their families to get good care in a creative way. Founder Jay Netwon-Small had an “Aha moment” when her dad was placed in a long-term facility for patients with memory issues. When she was handed a very long questionnaire to fill out about her dad, Newton-Small, a TIME Magazine correspondent, was inspired to write a biography of her father, to tell his story, so that the nurses and support staff could have all of the information about him in an easy-to-read format.

Imagine the Scenarios

Consider the patient who was a firefighter, or a military veteran, who is triggered by certain sounds at the facility. Think about the musician who is instantly soothed when Beatles songs are played. What about the former florist who loves the scent of roses? Perhaps the patient was a world traveler and may have long-term memories of those amazing moments. Creating their biography humanizes them to the care team.

What the Numbers Show

In the United States approximately 5.5 million people of all ages have Alzheimer's disease. Of these, around 5.3 million are 65 years and older. This disease also affects people younger than that. About 200,000 people have early-onset Alzheimer's disease. With these staggering numbers, it is important to get the word out to help patients get the best possible care. Wouldn’t it be great for the staff at a facility to know what agitates or calms patients, to understand who the people were before their memories began to become difficult to grasp?

The mission of Memory Well is to create empathy one story at a time. And they’re doing just that.