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Stimulate deep memories with iconic photography and soothing music
Read to the end for a very special offer for the
Memory Cafe Directory community!
In marketing, it is often said that a product is best placed when it is narrowly focused on a specific audience. Occasionally, one offering comes along that holds benefits for all of us, regardless of our age, background, or current life challenges. Photavia is the one.
Enter Photavia
Photavia is a wonderful video project that has combined the imagery from The LIFE Picture Collection, with soothing background music, all wrapped up in a calming screen with a clear voice describing the photo.
Photavia calls these V-Clips.
These iconic (and often provocative) images trigger “place and time” memories if we are… ahem… of a certain age. They remind us of how things were, or simply introduces an educational point in history.
Truly, something for everyone.
All Audiences Benefit
Photavia calls their first series, “A Moment in Time.” These are two minute video shorts that are very effective in promoting:
- Calm
- Stress Reduction
- Improved Emotional States, Moods, and Attitudes
- Personal Engagement
- Decreased Isolation
- Reductions in Supervisory Staff Time
- Increased One on One Time
V-Clips are all G-rated, so they can be used for any age group. This allows multi-generational enjoyment and engagement.
Group settings are great for the Photavia ToolKit, which is an activity and guide book. This additional educational tool boosts fun, interest, and overall entertainment – not to mention the value of reminiscing.
Quality Retains Engagement
While the variety of topics covered will certainly pique viewers’ interest, it is the impressive production quality that will keep them engaged. From design elements to audio quality, every detail is carefully covered to make the viewing experience as comfortable and enjoyable as possible.
Through this guided reminiscence, we are gently prodded to recall different times, events, and most importantly, feelings.
Recall Strengthens our Brains
Each time we recall a memory, we retrieve it from relatively long-term storage to a more short-term version. Our brain puts seemingly random pieces of our memory puzzle back together so we can experience the recalled information.
Fast Company’s article, “6 Science-Backed Methods To Improve Your Memory” cites this strengthening act:
The type of stimulus really doesn’t matter, and with the rich and soothing embrace of the Photavia V-Clips, recall is healthy for our brains.
Memory Cafe Participants
This of course is the group nearest and dearest to the heart for Memory Cafe Directory. One of the most often cited challenges Memory Cafe facilitators share with me is keeping their programming content fresh, updated, and always appropriately stimulating.
Often, “guided reminiscence” is used to impart enjoyable experiences on the surface, but on a deeper level, bring real benefits to the participants through recall. We just learned about those benefits, above.
Although Memory Cafes have often taken place at coffee shops, museums, community centers, and more!, they are increasing moving to an online, “virtual” Memory Cafe experience. An in-person facilitator can either connect their laptop to a projector or a big screen TV or share their Zoom screen, and play a variety of Photavia V-Clips for the group.
Whether it’s an in-person experience or one via the comfort and safety of home via Zoom, Photavia can be combined with informal conversation, or simply allowed to run for a period of time, and then discuss the memories.
For a more structured and guided path, Photavia offers a companion Toolkit for their “A Moment in Time”TM Series to help facilitators dig deeper and pull more of the memories out for all to enjoy.
Continuing Care Communities
Another common location for Memory Cafes is in various communities as part of their regular enrichment activities schedule. Any combination of residents and guests can take part in any given offering.
For these more “permanent” locations, Photavia offers onsite solutions in addition to their streaming service. Through content providers like Spectrum and with the use of media player devices, these kinds of installations essentially turn Photavia into a 24/7 channel. By being available throughout a facility, it also enables the ability to deliver community messages.
By simply connecting a smart TV, or logging in through a network connection, Photavia is available at any time – or better yet, all the time – for resident enjoyment.
There might be a quiet corner of a common area that is set aside for television. Either on a set schedule or running continuously, Photavia can be the magnet to draw people in, and memories out!
At Home
In this time of social distancing, many Memory Cafes have moved online. You can find a virtual Memory Cafe through our Cafe Connect Calendar. It becomes even more important to look for ways to stay engaged – and mentally stimulated – from the safety and comfort of home.
The same benefits can be enjoyed for those individuals still living at home, regardless of their personal level of independence. Whether you log into a smart TV at home, or simply sit in front of your computer for a short while, you can enjoy the connections to the past through Photavia’s “A Moment in Time” videos.
At School
There are many who feel Photavia holds benefits for the “younger set” as well. Many of the photos in The LIFE Picture Collection used in the Photavia service are staples of our American history and are very recognizable – by all age groups.
However, the younger generations may not know the backstory behind the photos, and the signifcance they hold in our historical makeup. Photavia holds value as a tool for classes ranging from history to social studies, and from photography to video production.
Discounts for the Memory Cafe Directory Community!
Visit for Memory Cafe Directory Discounts
Photavia has generously offered special discounts for the Memory Cafe Directory community on all of their subscriptions!
To get your special pricing from Photavia, visit their Plans and Pricing page. Scroll down below the regular plans to the three with special Memory Cafe Directory pricing:
- MemoryCafeTV: Monthly subscription at $10.99 per month (regular $12.99)
- MemoryCafeTV Plus: six month subscription for $62.99 (regular $69.99)
- MemoryCafeTV Premium: 12-Month Gold Subscription for $119.99 (regular $135.99)
Be sure to select one of the MemoryCafeTV plans to get your special pricing. Choose the plan that’s right for you and click the “Select Subscription” button to be taken to their checkout page. Your special pricing will be reflected at checkout.
Preview Great Clips!
Photavia has provided a great way to see the benefits for yourself. Visit them online to see still a preview of many of their videos. You’ll see just how rich and inviting they are. You are bound to recognize more than you think!
Courtesy Photavia
Let Photavia Guide your Reminiscence
Photavia is a wonderful way to help pull memories out of deep storage. We learned above that every time we recall a memory, it strengthens that connection, pulling longer term memories closer to the short term end of the spectrum.
What better way to do that than with a service that is elegant, soothing, and effective. Not to mention, at a discounted price!
Take a look at Photovia. You’ll like what you see, hear, and remember. Enjoy a Memory Cafe Directory discount as shown above. For more information, you can contact Photavia directly at info@photavia.net.
Dave
