Your life is like a tapestry, woven from your memories of people and events. Some threads are dark, while others are bright. Your individual tapestry shines vividly in your mind, reminding you of who you are, where you've been and what you've done.

Alzheimer's disease gradually robs people of the memories that make up their tapestries. You can help mend these holes by creating a tangible repository of memories — in a scrapbook, videotape or audiotape.

"Caregivers become the memory for their loved one with Alzheimer's disease," says Glenn Smith, Ph.D., a neuropsychologist at Mayo Clinic, Rochester, Minn. "By gathering memories, you can bring important events and experiences from your loved one's past into the present. You're the link to his or her life history."

Memories can be preserved in many ways. You can:

• Write them in a journal
• Create a scrapbook with photos, newspaper clippings, letters and postcards, greeting cards, sketches, poetry and musical verses
• Store mementos in a special box or chest
• Create a video or audio recording of personal stories

You may want to start by interviewing your relative or friend about his or her family history, nationality, heritage, traditions and celebrations. Ask about favorite sports, books, music and hobbies. You may want to ask about cultural and historical events. Go all the way back to childhood. Childhood games, homes and pets are good starting topics. As Alzheimer's progresses, your loved one will be less able to remember more recent events.

This is a great opportunity to reminisce, an activity that most people with Alzheimer's enjoy tremendously. Depending on the status of your relative's or friend's memory, you may also want to interview neighbors, co-workers, old friends and other family members and record their memories of your loved one.

Other sources of information can include old documents, important papers or personal correspondence. You may want to make copies of precious photos and documents so that they won't get lost or ruined. These types of scrapbooks typically get a lot of use.

"By creating a life story, you affirm for your loved one all the positive things he or she has done in life and can still do," says Dr. Smith. "Even after your relative's memories start to fade, creating a life story shows that you value and respect his or her legacy. It also reminds you who your loved one was before Alzheimer's disease."