Persistence has paid off for RSVP volunteer Gladys Schmidt Roy.  She has impressed the MN Historical Society with her idea of creating memory books to trigger the minds of Alzheimer’s patients at the six nursing homes she visits. The Historical Society has agreed to provide the historical photos for her project, and may offer them to other nursing homes as part of their larger Greatest Generation program.

“This is part of my dream in life: to do something for so many who are affected by this terrible disease,” says Gladys.

She became interested in helping patients with memory loss after caring for her husband, Hank, who had a family history of Alzheimer’s.  According to family stories, Hank’s grandmother used to run away in the fields--they had to hitch up the horses to find her.  Eventually, Hank, his sister, brothers, and cousin were all stricken with the disease.

In the years since Hank’s death, Gladys, 85, has been visiting several nursing homes a week, bringing friendship and homemade cookies to the residents (including sugar-free for diabetics). During her visits, Gladys noticed that patients’ memories could be jogged to recall things from the past. One woman would hardly say a word during Gladys’ visits, until the day Gladys reminisced about going downtown on the streetcar each Spring to buy an Easter bonnet at a popular store.  The woman suddenly came to life, and talked excitedly about how she used to enjoy doing the same thing.